Sector Skills Agreement - UCL Institute of Education...3.2.4 Learning provision – levels 1, 2, 3 and 4 3.2.5 Learning provision: non-accredited learning 21 21 21 23 26 31 34 35 35

Sector Skills Agreement

Stage 2 – Understanding supply in the children’s workforce

May 2007

IMAGE REDACTED DUE TO THIRD PARTY RIGHTS OR OTHER LEGAL ISSUES

Children’s Workforce Development Council – Sector Skills Agreement, Stage 2 2

Contents:

Contents Page

Executive Summary 4

1. Introduction and Background 1.1 The Children’s Workforce Development Council

1.2 Purpose and context of this stage 2 report

1.3 Key drivers

1.4 Key workforce characteristics

1.5 Methods used in developing this report

7

7

9

10

12

16

2. Stage 2 Headline Messages

2.1 Skills needs

2.2 Provision of training and development

2.3 Priority issues for workforce development

18

18

18

19

3. Current Skills Supply

3.1 Training and qualifications available

3.1.1 National Occupational Standards (NOS)

3.1.2 Qualifications available: higher education

3.1.3 Qualifications available at levels 1, 2, 3 and 4

3.1.4 Non-accredited training and qualifications

3.1.5 CPD: Post-qualifying awards in social work

3.1.6 CPD: Management training and qualifications

3.1.7 Qualifications planned within the next two years

3.2 Training and development provision

3.2.1 Learning provision: higher education

3.2.2 CPD provision: Post-qualifying awards in social work

3.2.3 CPD provision – management training and qualifications

3.2.4 Learning provision – levels 1, 2, 3 and 4

3.2.5 Learning provision: non-accredited learning

21

21

21

23

26

31

34

35

35

37

37

45

46

46

49

4. Delivery Capacity and Take-up

4.1 Current capacity

60

60

5. Evaluation and Quality of Provision

5.1 Quality framework

5.2 Quality issues

5.3 Employer and manager satisfaction

5.3.1 Quality of higher education provision

5.3.2 Quality of further education provision

62

62

62

63

63

64


6. Funding and investment in training and development

6.1 Public sector funding for training and development

6.1.1 National Training Strategy Grant

6.1.2 Human Resources Development Strategy Grant

6.1.3 Training strategy implementation

6.2 The costs of establishing a competent workforce

6.2.1 Assumptions and definitions

6.2.2 Assessing costs

6.2.2.1 English as an additional language (EAL)

6.2.2.2 Essential skills

6.2.2.3 Common induction standards

6.2.2.4 Mandatory training

6.2.3 National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs)

6.2.4 Social work degree

6.2.5 Post-qualification costs

6.2.6 Continuing professional development costs

6.2.7 Conclusions

6.3 The sector’s views about funding

6.3.1 Accessing funding

6.3.2 Employer investment in funding

6.3.3 Employee investment in funding

66

66

77

78

80

82

82

82

84

84

84

84

84

84

85

85

85

86

86

87

89

7. Skills supply and demand

7.1 Overview and key messages

7.2 Skills supply and demand: drivers for change

7.3 Skills shortages, gaps and needs

7.3.1 Findings from the CWDC workforce survey

7.3.1.1 Recruitment

7.3.1.2 Recruitment and basic sales

7.3.1.3 Recruitment and further training

7.3.1.4 Information about training

7.3.1.5 Availability of training

7.3.1.6 Range of qualifications

7.3.1.7 Value of staff training

7.3.2 Supply and demand – key trends

7.3.2.1 Balance of labour supply and demand in relation to early years

provision

7.3.2.2 Balance of labour supply and demand in relation to social services

provision

7.3.2.3 Future demand for second workers

7.3.2.4 Balance of labour supply and demand foster carers

91

91

92

93

95

95

97

97

98

99

102

103

106

107

108

108

109

8. Priorities and recommendations 111

9. Bibliography 115

10. Appendix 1 Workforce Skills and Training Survey 2007 118


Executive Summary

The Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC) exists to improve the lives of

children and young people, their families and carers by ensuring that all people working

with them have the best possible training, qualifications, support and advice. It also helps

children and young people’s organisations and services to work together better so that

the child is at the heart of all services. The Sector Skills Agreement (SSA) is a key

mechanism for achieving this.

SSA’s map out what skills a sector needs its workforce to have and how these needs will

be met. They enable deals to be made with delivery partners who supply, fund and plan

education, training and development to influence the supply of relevant learning to the

sector. The development of an SSA has five stages:

• Assessment of current and future skills needs.

• Assessment of current workforce development and training provision.

• Analysis of the gaps and weaknesses.

• Assessment of scope for collaborative action.

• Costed action plan.

This Stage 2 report, Understanding Supply, presents an assessment of the extent,

appropriateness and quality of current education and training provision for the children

and young people’s workforce in England. It analyses existing supply in the context of

changing needs and trends within the sector and in so doing draws upon information in

the Stage 1 report (Skills Needs Assessment) to start to determine the sector’s

preferred direction of change.

The Stage 2 report draws primarily on secondary sources of data and information. This is

due to the high level of consultation that has already taken place recently and the

concurrent risk of consultation fatigue within the sector. Additionally, the consequence of

this breadth of consultation is that there is a significant volume of information already

available. In addition to the synthesis of secondary literature and statistics, the report is

informed by a number of specific discussion groups, workshops and consultation events.

An on-line survey was also hosted on the CWDC website, and further in-depth

discussions were held with key stakeholders.

Key issues from Stage 1

The assessment of current and future skills needs (stage 1) highlighted that the children

and young people’s workforce has:

• a lack of diversity;

• a high proportion of part-time workers;

• lower levels of pay than comparable sectors;

• difficulties with recruitment; and

• a shortage of workforce data.


In terms of the priority skills, the breadth and range of skills required depends to a

significant extent on which sector an individual is working in and on their job role.

However, it is also clear that there are some key generic skills necessary at all levels and

across sectors. These can be summarised as follows:

• Basic skills in literacy and numeracy need to be essential requirements for the

workforce.

• IT skills at both basic user and advanced user levels are becoming increasingly

essential.

• The Common Core of Skills and Knowledge needs to be embedded within future

qualifications.

• Commissioning and procurement skills are required as service delivery is

increasingly contracted out.

• Good leadership and management are fundamental to the modernisation of the

workforce. New ways of working will require different leadership and

management skills which will need to be reflected in training programmes.

Issues and priorities from Stage 2

The survey of data sources on the current provision of training and development shows

that for those seeking to improve their level of training, existing provision is very variable

and complex. There is much regional variation in provision, and many different ways in

which training and qualifications are recognised.

In addition, the report looks briefly at incentives for individual and organisational

investment of time or funding into training and development. The report finds that within

the children’s workforce, a higher level of qualification does not necessarily correlate to

higher levels of pay.

The Stage 2 report discusses current work being undertaken by CWDC in association

with other organisations to streamline this provision and qualifications, for example

through the review of National Occupational Standards (NOS) and the Integrated

Qualification Framework (IQF). This streamlining will facilitate mobility within and across

the difference occupational groups of the children’s workforce.

The research also found that, while there is an appetite for training and qualifications,

programmes designed to improve qualifications levels, such as Train to Gain, are not

being widely utilised. Many people cited difficulty in finding funding, or time for training as

the main reasons for not undertaking it. There is regional variation in what is available,

as well as across sectors. Consequently, the report recognises that data collection at a

regional level must be made a priority.


Key messages:

• The large number of qualifications available needs to be reduced as the current

provision is confusing for employers and potential new entrants to the sector.

• There is a wide range of non-accredited training undertaken in the sector.

• Delivery of learning/training provision is not always sufficiently flexible to meet

employer needs in terms of time, location, relevance etc.

• Funding for training and development needs to be simplified and clarified in order

to maximise the impact and effectiveness of investment.

• In order to ensure the sector develops the skills it needs there is a need to

improve the data on current skills / qualifications held.

Next Steps

CWDC is taking the key messages from our Stage 1 and 2 reports out to employers and

other stakeholder (including providers of learning supply, regulators, awarding bodies,

funding agencies and partner SSCs) across England during our Stage 3 work. This work

is due to commence in May 2007 with a national level meeting to test the key messages

with a sector-wide employer reference group. This will be followed up by regional level

consultation events during June and July, as well as a web based consultation in order to

widen the sector engagement as much as possible. We will be seeking solutions and

opportunities for collaboration that will meet the challenges and changing skill-needs of

the ‘workforce of the future’. Options on the preferred direction of change will be

developed which will lead to early action-plans by October 2007 and a series of focussed

Sector Skills Agreements by January 2008. In parallel with this, we will be consulting on,

and developing our Sector Learning Strategy (SLS).


1. Introduction and background

This Stage 2 report Understanding Supply presents an assessment of the extent,

appropriateness and quality of current education and training provision for the children’s

and young people’s workforce in England.

It builds upon our Stage 1 report which provides detailed information about CWDC, the

SSA process and the key drivers, policy and legislation affecting our sector. This

introduction provides a brief overview for those reading this Stage 2 report on its own.

1.1 The Children’s Workforce Development Council

The UK Sector Skills Council (SSC) for social care, children, early years and young

people is called Skills for Care and Development. It was licensed on 1 February 2005.

The partner organisations that comprise the SSC are the Care Council for Wales (CCW);

the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC); the Scottish Social Services Council

(SSSC) and in England, Skills for Care (SfC) representing adult social care and the

Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC).

The Children’s Workforce Development Council1:

• aims to improve the lives of children and young people. It does this by ensuring

that the people working with children have the best possible training,

qualifications, support and advice. It will also help children and young people's

organisations and services to work together so that the child is at the centre of all

services

• is one of five bodies forming the UK Skills For Care and Development Sector

Skills Council and coordinates the Children's Workforce Network.

• is led by employers through a board of 25 representatives from organisations

across its range of sectors. It acts as a partner and critical friend of the

government carrying forward the results from the paper Every Child Matters. It

works closely with the DfES to determine the direction of workforce reforms and to

identify skill shortages.

CWDC has responsibility for addressing the skills, workforce and productivity challenges

of a total footprint amounting to around 500,000 (80% employees, 20% self-employed). In

addition, it is likely that there are at least 250,000 volunteers in the sector, though

accurate estimates are hard to establish. There are some ambiguities over precise

definitions but broadly the footprint includes the following occupational groups2:

Early Years:

• Managers, their deputies and assistants, and all those working in early years

provision in:

1 Further details can be found at www.cwdcouncil.org.uk 2 Further details, including an analysis by SIC Codes, are included in our Stage 1 Report


o Playgroups

o Children’s Centres

o Day Nurseries

o Nursery Schools

o Nursery classes in primary schools.

• Registered childminders working in their own homes, or in a variety of settings

including children’s centres, neighbourhood and nurseries and extended schools.

• Nannies.

• Portage workers (a home-visiting educational service for pre-school children and

their families requiring additional support).

Social Care:

• Foster carers, including private foster carers.

• Children and families social workers.

• Registered Managers of children’s homes, their deputies and assistants plus all

residential child care workers.

• Family Centre Managers, their deputies and assistants plus all family centre

workers.

• Day Centre Managers, their deputies and assistants plus all day centre workers.

• Outreach/family support workers.

• Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) family court

advisers.

Learning Development and Support Services:

• Learning Mentors.

• Behaviour and Education Support Teams

• Education Welfare Officers

• Educational Psychologists

• Other therapists working with children

• Connexions Personal Advisers

• Lead Inspectors of registered children’s services within the footprint

Across the workforce:

• Support workers in all the above settings

• Volunteers not otherwise covered above.

CWDC exists to improve the lives of children, young people, their families and carers by

ensuring that all people working with them have the best possible training, qualifications,

support and advice. It also helps children and young people's organisations and services


to work together better so that the child is at the centre of all services. The SSA is a key

mechanism for achieving this.

1.2 Purpose and context of this Stage 2 report

This Stage 2 report, Understanding Supply, presents an assessment of the extent,

appropriateness and quality of current education and training provision for the children’s

and young people’s workforce in England. It analyses existing supply in the context of

changing needs and trends within the sector and in so doing draws upon information in

the Stage 1 report to start to determine the sector’s preferred direction of change. It looks

ahead to Stage 3 which will be testing alternative proposals on how best to tackle the

gaps between current and future demand for skills and supply.

This report is part of the five-stage process leading to the formulation of the Sector Skills

Agreements (SSAs). SSAs are ‘compacts’ between employers; providers and funders of

learning provision; the government and the SSC, which will influence the supply of

relevant learning to our sector and will raise employer commitment to the development of

appropriate skills. The five stages are:

Stage 1: Assessing current and future skills needs of the workforce. (Skills Needs

Assessment)

Stage 2: Identifying and assessing current training and development provision.

Stage 3: Analysing gaps and engaging employers, workers, people who use services,

and carers3 in market testing options for change, solutions and priorities.

Stage 4: Developing collaborative agreements between Sector Skills Council,

employers and other partners.

Stage 5: Developing action plans.

Together, the Stage 1 and Stage 2 reports provide the essential underpinnings for the

subsequent stages of the SSA development process.

High quality services depend upon a well-trained and well-supported workforce. CWDC’s

Sector Skills Agreement will be the plan of action which will identify the skills that will be

needed in the future across the private, maintained and voluntary, community and faith

sectors, and of employers, the self-employed, employees, volunteers and others in this

workforce.

The SSA will be driven by the voice of the employer and the self-employed:

• based on sound evidence;

• comprehensive, defining both short and medium-term priorities and key levers for

change;

3 'Carer' is used throughout to refer to people such as family or friends providing care other than as their employment, as distinct from employed care staff


• focused on a positive, inspiring and creative vision;

• focused on actions and what needs to happen to make a difference;

• be delivered by a series of agreements – ‘compacts’ - between employers, the

CWDC, those who deliver and fund education and training, key partners and the

government.

The development of the SSA is guided by recent thinking about the children’s workforce,

which envisions a world-class children’s workforce as one which:

• strives to work as effectively as possible for all children and young people;

• is reliable, competent and confident;

• offers individuals a satisfying and rewarding career;

• is trusted by parents, carers, children and young people.

The SSA is about action, not words. It will be designed ultimately to benefit children,

young people, their families and carers. The SSA is intended to increase awareness of

training and skills needs among employers and employees, encouraging greater

investment and transparency in the system of training and qualifications. By

incorporating analysis of future skills demand, the SSA will draw attention to the breadth

of learning needs across the workforce. This will seek to address problems of recruitment

and retention and encourage a workforce that is more representative of the society it

works with.

The SSA aims to encourage:

• a highly skilled and professional workforce which is accessible, effective and

accountable.

• leadership and management which promotes and facilitates excellence in the

workforce.

• a workforce which is flexible and integrated in its working practices, putting the

needs of children, young people and families at the centre of how services are

delivered.

• continuing professional development which enables workers, the self-employed

and volunteers to develop additional skills, and supports career development and

progression opportunities within a clear career pathways framework.

• a demand-led system of skill development that connects the skills that are needed

with the ones that individuals learn.

• a simplified system of qualification and funding which is coherent, understandable,

valued and responsive to workforce needs.


1.3 Key drivers

Over the last decade there has been an increasing recognition that 21st century living

demands services that reflect the varied needs of our complex and interdependent

society. The changing expectations of children, young people and families, the improved

quality of life, demographic trends and changing economic circumstances have all

contributed to the need for a ‘modern’ workforce which is highly skilled, well-trained and

supported, and able to work in flexible ways. Changes at a European and global level

have also has an impact, for example the implications of implementing the Lisbon

Strategies of economic, social and environmental renewal – a key European policy

setting the context for the children's workforce across the European Union4.

This workforce has experienced a number of wide-ranging changes in recent years

alongside significant amounts of government investment. This workforce is providing

imaginative and innovative services and is supporting and developing individuals in their

personal, family and community contexts to order to promote the positive outcomes set

out in Every Child Matters5 (ie be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive

contribution and achieve economic well-being).

Both the sector’s wishes and government-led policy reflect these societal and economic

contexts. The SSA provides a unique opportunity for skills development which helps

realise the changes sought by the sector and which meet the drivers in policy documents,

including6:

• Every Child Matters reforms, in particular, The Children’s Workforce Strategy7 and

related policies, including Youth Matters, Care Matters, and the extended Schools

Agenda.

• Implementation of the 2006 Childcare Act8.

• Implementation of the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and

Maternity Services9.

• The childcare strategy: The Best Start for Children: a ten year strategy for

childcare10

• The Common Assessment Framework11

4 The Lisbon Strategy agreed at the Lisbon Council of Ministers in March 2000 and the

sustainable development strategy agreed at the Gothenburg Council of Ministers in June 2001 5 Department for Education and Skills, 2004 & 2005; Every Child Matters: Change for Children

(2004 & 2005 updates) 6 A synthesis of key policy documents is provided in our Stage 1 Report

7 Department for Education and Skills, 2006; Children’s Workforce Strategy Building a world-class

workforce for children, young people and families - The Government’s response to the consultation 8 HM Government, 2006; Childcare Act 2006

9 Department for Education and Skills & Department of Health, 2004; National Service Framework

10 HM Treasury, 2004; Choice for parents, the best start for children: a ten year strategy for

childcare 11

See: www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/deliveringservices/caf/


• Championing Children12, the guidance developed for leaders and managers of multi-

agency teams

• The Options for Excellence review13

• The Skills Strategy for England14

• The Leitch review of skills15

• Aiming high for children: supporting families16

The implications for workforce development of each of these are explored fully in the

Stage 1 Report.

1.4 Key workforce characteristics

CWDC works in the interests of a range of occupational groups across this children and

young people’s workforce, with the responsibility for addressing the skills, workforce and

productivity challenges of a total workforce of some 500,00017 (80% employees, 20%

self-employed), plus an estimated 250,000 volunteers. The occupational groups covered

by CWDC include:

• Early Years and Childcare (70% of the workforce)

• Children and Family Social Care (15% of the workforce)

• Advisory and Education Support (5% of the workforce)18

The children and young people’s workforce is engaged by a range of organisations

including those which are independent or private, local authorities and other public

service organisations and voluntary organisations. A significant proportion of the

workforce is self-employed. Details of each of the occupational groups noted above, and

in Section 1.1, are provided in our Stage 1 Report.

Compared with the total labour force in England, the children and young people’s

workforce:

• is predominantly female, although at management level there is a higher proportion

of men.

• has a higher proportion of part-time workers.

12

Department for Education and Skills, 2006; Championing Children 13

Department of Health & Department for Education and Skills, 2006; Options for Excellence – Building the Social Care Workforce of the Future 14

HM Government, 2003; 21st Century Skills; and HM Government, 2005; Getting on in business, getting on at work. See also the DfES Skills Strategy website: www.dfes.gov.uk/skillsstrategy/ 15

HM Treasury, 2006; Prosperity for all in the global economy - world class skills 16

Department for Education and Skills and HM Treasury, 2007; Aiming high for children: supporting families 17

CWDC, 2006; Recruitment, Retention and Rewards in the Children’s Workforce, Occupational Summaries 18

NB some 10% of the workforce comprise other occupational groups


• works lower than average weekly hours – a reflection of the part-time nature.

• is more likely to have dependent children.

• has fewer people with disabilities.

• is highly heterogeneous – some parts are aging others are relatively young; some

parts have proportions of black and minority ethnic workers which reflect the local

population, others do not.

CWDC’s work on Recruitment, Retention and Rewards suggests that:

• whilst there is a wide range of qualification levels in the workforce, it is generally

characterised by low levels of qualifications.

• qualifications are the principal barriers to moving between jobs in the children's

workforce, as well as into the workforce from elsewhere.

• career progression appears to be easier for those with higher-level qualifications,

and those working in larger organisations.

• in most cases jobs require a specific qualification, although some do accept relevant

related qualifications.

• there is a plethora of qualifications and awarding bodies, professional institutes and

registration bodies operating in the sector, leading to confusion and a lack of clarity

about the value and relevance of qualifications and registration.

• there does not appear to be a direct link between the levels of pay and rewards, and

recruitment and retention - the overall package is what contributes to an individual's

contentment within a job.

Figure 1.00 overleaf provides an overview of the state of pay for the sector against the

national average and the ease of recruitment to specific posts19:

19

CWDC, 2006; Recruitment, Retention and Rewards in the Children's Workforce


Figure 1.00

Note: the vertical axis uses the total gross annual average pay in England: £19,376

(including full and part time)

Source: NOMIS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2005.

As can be seen, there are no professions that have the lowest pay but are also easily

recruited. Child and family social workers have higher pay but are harder to recruit; and

Connexions Personal Advisors and educational welfare officers both receive higher pay

and are among the easiest to recruit.

Lower pay is regarded as a factor in the high turnover of staff in some occupations with

individuals regularly moving in search of higher pay. It also affects how the children's

workforce work is valued. Studies by the Thomas Coram Research Unit into early year's

services reveal attitudes amongst workers who believe that lower pay encourages society

to place low value on the nature of the work. This in turn has a negative affect on

recruitment and retention20.

20

Moss, P, 2003; Beyond Caring: The case for reforming the childcare and early years workforce, Thomas Coram Research Unit, University of London


A recent DfES study21 also demonstrated a positive correlation between qualifications

and pay. It also compares the pay in the sector with the national average pay for

individuals qualified to a similar level in the wider labour force – showing that pay rates in

the early years and childcare sector is significantly lower (for example some 30% less

than equivalently-qualified secretarial staff).

Figure 1.01 shows a comparison of the level of qualifications held by workers in a variety

of occupational groups. The lines in the chart represent the range of current

qualifications which workers currently have, starting at entry level and progressing

towards more senior positions.22

Figure 1.01

21

Department for Education and Skills, 2005; The Children’s workforce in England: A Review of the evidence. Version 1.0 22



Figure 1.01 shows that:

• Learning mentors have the greatest range of qualifications. Individuals can enter

the profession with virtually no qualifications and potentially gain up to degree level.

• Nannies have the lowest range of qualifications and a very small amount of training

opportunities.

• Children and family social workers are highly qualified and have the greatest

amount of training.

• CAFCASS workers are the most highly qualified profession (of the professions

included in the study - Educational Psychologists were not included).

Even though some in the children's workforce are educated to Level 6 (degree level), it is

important to note that overall the children's workforce has a low level of qualifications.

The highest qualifications for nursery workers and childminders are generally Level 1 or

2. Childminders are also less likely to have a relevant vocational qualification than

nursery workers. Other research23 has found that childminders have low levels of

education and worked previously in low skilled work and that they generally do not hold

qualifications in childcare.

The Common Core of Skills and Knowledge for the Children's Workforce24 sets out the

basic skills and knowledge needed by people (including volunteers) whose work brings

them into regular contact with children, young people and families. It will facilitate

multidisciplinary teams to work together more effectively in the interests of the child.

Part of the ten year childcare strategy is aiming to ensure degree-qualified staff lead

every full time day care setting. An increasing number of those working in the children's

workforce are supplementing on-the-job experience with extra study to achieve

qualifications such as NVQ 3 in Early Years Care and Education. However, pay is always

an important issue and as people increase their skills, they will also want to be paid more.

1.5 Methods used in developing this Report

As in developing our Stage 1 report, we have used mainly secondary sources of

information. The rationale for this is fully explained in the Stage 1 Report. Most parts of

the sector have been consulted and surveyed frequently in the recent past. For example

in the work of CWDC (and TOPSS England before it);in the development of local,

regional and national strategy and in the development of government policy. CWDC has

been closely involved with the vast majority of these developments. In the preparation of

this report, we have built upon this work and tested its key messages rather than repeat it

which, we believe from early discussions with stakeholders, would have had been

received unenthusiastically. Where existing information did not exist or where we needed

23

Rolfe, H, Metcalfe, H, Anderson, T and Meadows, P, 2003; Recruitment and Retention of Childcare,

Early Years and Play Workers: Research Study, National Institute of Economic and Social Research 24

See: http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/deliveringservices/commoncore/


to check information or generate solutions, secondary data has been augmented by

surveys and discussion groups. These are outlined below and described in our Stage 1

Report.

In developing this Report, we have drawn on a variety of techniques of enquiry including:

• Analysis of relevant literature, including results of recent surveys and, in particular,

meta-analyses; these are referenced in footnotes throughout this Report. It is

important to note that the vast majority of these sources deeply involved the sector

and the research for many was undertaken by the CWDC or TOPSS England.

• Analysis of statistical data relating to the supply of training and development funded

via the statutory sector; in particular accreditation bodies for information about

qualifications gained, funding agencies including HESA, LSC and learndirect for

information about numbers and profiles of learners and employer surveys such as

the National Employer Survey commissioned by the Learning and Skills Council

(LSC), the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Sector Skills

Development Agency (SSDA) to provide information on skills and workforce

development issues facing employers in England.

• Discussion groups and workshops with employers, members of the workforce,

training providers and ‘strategists’ both to collect new information where there

appeared to be gaps in existing knowledge, to test out information synthesised

from existing sources and to look for solutions to challenges. Some consultation

events have been run, both at bespoke workshops and at other events (eg the

National Conference of Directors of Social Services). These have involved a range

of methods (including discussion groups, questionnaires and electronic voting); and

participants (including workers, owners/managers, local authority staff, training

providers, representatives of funding and awarding bodies, and CWDC staff).

• An on-line workforce survey, located on the CWDC website and completed by 1062

respondents.

• In-depth discussions with key stakeholders (including Department for Education

and Skills, Department of Health, Learning and Skills Council, and members of the

CWDC Board).

It is acknowledged that there is greater information available in terms of the social care

aspects of the workforce and that this report may appear more weighted to these

occupations. However, there are initiatives built into CWDC’s Business Plan for 2007/08

which aim to improve the level of workforce intelligence and supply side data that is held

for the whole of the footprint.

To support the both the Stage 1 and Stage 2 processes, CWDC also undertook some

primary research in the form of an online workforce skills and training survey. The survey

was live between December 2006 and February 2007 and provides employer and worker

perceptions on skills and training issues within the sector. The responses provided by

the sector have assisted CWDC in identifying existing skills gaps as part of the Stage 1


work as well as issues on the training and qualification supply side, which will be explored

in more detail in the Stage 2 report. The survey report is detailed at Appendix 2.

In addition, a number of focus groups were held with members of the workforce to raise

awareness of the SSA and to test the perceptions on skills needs and training

requirements for particular occupations. Workshops were held with Connexions Personal

Advisers, Education Welfare Officers, Local Authority Workforce Development Leads as

well as at the National Conference for Directors of Social Services. The views expressed

in these focus groups have been used to inform the analysis of skills needs and training

issues.

The SSA is also supported by the findings from additional research work, which provide

employer and sector perceptions on skills and training. For example, three reports were

produced as part of the Early Years Foundation Stage scoping work. The National

Childminders Association, National Day Nurseries Association and the Pre-school

Learning Alliance provided results of consultations with their members on the potential

training issues associated with rolling out the EYFS training. The responses included

employer and employee perceptions on training and development and these have been

taken into account when identifying issues for both the Stage 1 and Stage 2 SSA reports.

Section 2: Headline messages


2. Stage 2 Headline Messages

2.1 Skills needs

Skills needed by managers, workers, self-employed and volunteers vary considerably

across different parts of the workforce and these will be discussed in detail in the SSA.

However, there are a number of key generic skills required by the whole workforce. In

addition, children, young people, their families and carers have a range of ideas about

what skills they want those who work with them to have.

Generic skills required:

• literacy and numeracy.

• communication and interpersonal.

• information and communication technology (ICT).

In addition, the workforce needs skills to:

• ensure the safety of children and young people .

• raise aspirations and encourage children and young people to fulfill their potential.

• help individuals to work in multidisciplinary teams which make connections

between different agencies.

• prepare staff for work with children, young people and families.

Those in management roles need additional generic skills including:

• leadership and management.

• commissioning and negotiation.

Many of these skills are embedded in the Common Core of Skills and Knowledge for the

Children’s Workforce and in the future these will form part of qualifications for working

with children young people and families.

2.2 Provision of training and development

There is currently a large number of public, private and voluntary sector organisations

providing skill development to the children’s workforce. At the moment, there is a

complex range of qualifications on offer, while the nature and sources of funding that are

available are also unclear. This leads to confusion both within the sector and amongst

training providers.

There is a comprehensive range of training programmes across England, however within

this provision, there are regional gaps to be addressed. Many programmes lead to

qualifications ranging from Skills for Life to degree and postgraduate awards, although

there are discrepancies in relation to which are nationally recognised and which are not.

In addition, there is a wide range of training provision, often delivered through ‘short



courses,’ which does not lead to recognised qualifications but which addresses specific

skill needs.

The SSA and the forthcoming Sector Learning Strategy (SLS), including the Integrated

Qualification Framework (IQF) will help employers and individuals work within a demand-

led system. CWDC aims to reduce the number of qualifications to those which are key to

the sector and will pursue the simplification of funding arrangements for these

qualifications. This will help those in the children’s workforce to develop the skills and

attributes they need to support their businesses and the services they offer, and achieve

qualifications which endorse these skills and attributes.

2.3 Priority issues for workforce development

During the development of our Stages 1 and 2 reports, the following have been identified

as key issues for the workforce. These will be further explored in our Stage 3 work.

• Literacy, numeracy and communication skills need to be developed in order to

support the vision of a world class workforce and improve outcomes for children

and young people.

• The number and range of qualifications on offer to the workforce is too high and

confusing for employers.

• Qualifications are the main barrier to career progression and mobility between

occupations within the children’s workforce.

• There is a need to ensure that all future qualifications are developed around the

requirements of the Common Core of Skills and Knowledge.

• Funding for training and development needs to be rationalised, simplified, and

clarified to maximise investment.

• There is a sector wide need for ICT skills to respond to new ways of working, e-

learning opportunities and service user expectations.

• Good leadership and management skills are essential for the development and

modernisation of the sector.

• The sector is perceived to have low professional esteem and remuneration which

impacts on recruitment and retention. This needs to be addressed and the public

perception of the sector raised.

• Delivery of training provision requires greater flexibility and innovative solutions to

meet employer needs, particularly in terms of time, location, duration and delivery

mode.

• A wide range of non-accredited learning is undertaken but does not facilitate

transferability. Non-accredited learning is often valued highly, and its status needs

to be addressed.

• Accurate and consistent workforce intelligence, particularly at regional level, is

often lacking.

• Apprenticeship achievement rates for the CCLD Framework are the lowest of any

sector.



• The workforce needs more diverse skill-sets to be better able to respond to the

needs of service users, to provide increasingly flexible services and to respond

positively to change.

Priorities arising from some of these issues can be addressed for example, by the IQF to

ensure that key qualifications for the sector are rationalised, include the common core

and support mobility across the children’s workforce. Others will require a different

approach, for example support for employers as they introduce new ways of working.


3. Current skills supply

3.1 Training and qualifications available

3.1.1 National Occupational Standards

National Occupational Standards (NOS) describe the skills, knowledge and

understanding required by workers, coupled with the ability to apply these to work related

situations. NOS are UK wide in their scope and are based on an analysis of functions

performed in the workplace rather than job descriptions. They create a common UK

standard which is informed by country-specific developments and needs. NOS are also

used for defining work roles, for staff recruitment, supervision and appraisal purposes.

NVQs, made up of NOS, are currently accredited on the National Qualifications

Framework (NQF) managed by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) at

Entry Level and Levels 1 -5.25

QCA is currently reviewing and revising the qualifications framework and the new

framework, the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) is currently being piloted. It is

based on Units of Assessment and each unit is assigned a level (1-8) and a credit value.

The credit value is based on the number of notional learning hours required to achieve an

individual unit. Qualifications will be made up of groups of units and SSCs, together with

Awarding Bodies, will have a key role to play, both in the development of units which are

fit for purpose and in the development of qualifications.

It is not yet clear how NOS will fit into the new Qualifications and Credit Framework but it

seems likely that qualifications will be of different forms depending on their purpose:

• Competence based (as NOS are at present).

• Knowledge based (as VRQs are at present).

• A mixture of knowledge based and competence based.

Current NOS review and development projects relating to the children’s workforce

include:

• A review of NOS for learning, development and support services for children,

young people and those who care for them. This covers Education Welfare

services, Learning Mentor Services and Connexions. The latter two are England-

only in terms of the job roles but functionally, the NOS will apply across the UK.

This work is being carried out in cooperation with the Training and Development

Agency for Schools (TDA).

• Revision of NOS for Registered Managers in Adult Social Care and Managers in

Residential Childcare, in partnership with Skills for Care and Development.

25 See the NQF levels descriptors: www.qca.org.uk/493_15772.html


• Revision of NOS for commissioning, procurement and contracting for the Social

care, children, early years and young people’s workforce, undertaken in partnership

with Skills for Care and Development.

Also in the pipeline are the following projects:

• Review of common functions within Learning Development and Support Services

(LDSS), Health and Social Care and Child Care Learning and Development across

SfC&D, leading to the development of appropriate NOS.

• Development of job roles, functions and qualifications for individuals working with

people who have a sensory impairment.

The current NOS and qualifications for individuals working with children and young

people aged 0–16 are the Children’s Care, Learning and Development (CCLD) standards

which are available at levels 2, 3 and 4 on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).

The sector is taking part in a revision of all qualifications used for people working with

children and young people, to improve their transferability and fitness for purpose and to

simplify the qualification structure. This process will be part of the development of an

Integrated Qualification Framework (IQF). All qualifications for CWDC’s footprint will be

developed in future within the guidance developing for IQF qualifications and this will form

a significant part of the Sector Learning Strategy. The development of the IQF will be

designed to meet many of the training challenges for the sector and will take place in

close collaboration with stakeholders, including the Qualification and Curriculum Authority

(QCA), Awarding Bodies, other SSCs, employers, vocational education and training

providers and higher education institutions, regulators and funding bodies.

The development of unit and credit based qualifications, as part of the QCA reform

agenda, will be tested as part of IQF developments.

To date, NOS have tended to have been used within the sector as part of qualification

and curriculum development. However, the development of a unit and credit based

system may enable the sector to make use of units more widely, for example in human

resource activities including job descriptions, role development, development review and

performance management. Testing the applicability of NOS and units for these purposes

will take place during 2007/08 and will contribute to our Sector Learning Strategy.

A recent survey of local authorities26 showed that, in 2007, only some 30% of responding

social services departments (n=12) are actively using NOS, compared with 68% in 2001

(n= 36). Authorities are using NOS in (in order of usage):

• Identifying Individual and organisational training.

• Recruitment and selection.

26

SkillsPlus, 2007; Use and take-up of National Occupational Standards, and National and Scottish vocational qualifications in local government – United Kingdom survey 2007


• Assessing achievement/performance.

• Structuring learning programmes.

• Job design and evaluation.

• Delivery and evaluating learning programmes.

• Careers guidance and counseling.

• Product and service delivery.

Particular barriers and issues relating to the use of NOS include:

• Lack of time to relate NOS to authority objectives.

• Lack of understanding of NOS uses.

• Lack of resources to relate NOS to authority objectives.

• Lack of support or guidance on using NOS.

• Lack of commitment from middle management..

3.1.2 Qualifications available: higher education

Social work degree

Social Worker training and qualifications are regulated by the General Social Care

Council (GSCC). Since September 2004 obtaining the new Social Work degree27 is

necessary to qualify as a social worker in England. This replaced the previous

qualification, the Diploma in Social Work (DipSW).

Other degrees

A range of other first degrees, including psychology, have relevance for particular

occupational groups.

Foundation Degrees (Level 5)

The development of Foundation Degrees (FDs) amounts to one of the biggest changes in

higher education in recent years. They are a response to the business need for quality,

higher education level qualifications that balance academic understanding with vocational

experience and career relevance. Foundation degrees are becoming increasingly

popular, with some 47,000 learners engaged in full- or part-time study in 2005-06 across

all subjects on the 1,600 degrees on offer (compared with about 850,000 across the

whole of HE). Another 800 foundation degrees are in development. Foundation degrees

are intended to maximise flexibility in delivery, integrate work experience and academic

study, closely involve employers in their development and provide pathways from

previous learning (eg NVQs) and routes into a first degree.

27

From September 2003 in England the new social work degree was offered as a three year undergraduate degree or a two-year postgraduate one. It replaced the Diploma in Social Work (DipSW), a two-year programme for graduates and non-graduates. Some new social work degree courses started in September 2003. All courses starting in September 2004 were degree courses and DipSW programmes ceases for September 2004 entry


Foundation degrees are available in a wide range of subject areas appropriate to people

working (or interested in working) with children, young people and their families. These

include the ‘Early Years Sector Endorsed Foundation Degree’ (EYSEFD) – assessed and

endorsed by DfES and CWDC and leading to a new level of professional practice known

as the ‘Senior Practitioner’. Route specific options include: work with Under 3s; the

Foundation Stage; and Teaching Assistants and Playwork options.

The current list of foundation degrees relevant to the children and young people’s

workforce can be obtained from www.fdf.ac.uk/courses/index.php. These include a wide

range in care and in health and care; Addressing Additional Needs from Children to

Young Adults; Child and Adolescent Mental Health; Child and Adolescent Studies;

Children and Young Persons; Children and Youth Services; Counselling; Every Child

Matters; Families, Parenting and Communities; Family Support; Integrated Practice;

Leadership and Management; Social Care (Early Years); Voluntary and Community

Organisation Development; Working with Young People; and Working with Young People

and Young Peoples Services.

Table 3.00 shows the number of organisations delivering Foundation Degrees; the title of

the degree and the geographical spread of provision. Whilst there is no detailed analysis

of the content of these degrees, it seems likely that many have similar aims and

objectives. It may be that there is room for some rationalisation of Foundation Degrees in

line with identified sector needs for higher education.


Table 3.00: Organisations offering foundation degrees in each region

Region

Degree title EE EM Lond NE NW SE SW WM Y/H Total

Child and adolescent studies 1 1

Childcare 1 1

Childcare and early years 1 1

Childhood studies 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 9

Early years childcare and education 4 1 1 6

Early childhood education 1 1 1 3

Early years care and education 2 5 7

Early years childhood studies 2 7 3 12

Early years 7 2 7 23 5 12 18 8 82

Early years (sector endorsed) 1 6 4 4 3 18

Integrated Practice (EYS Child and YP) 7 7

Social care (Early Years) 1 1

Early years care 2 2

Child and adolescent studies 1 1

Early years senior practitioner 1 1

Early years practice 1 2 3

Integrated education and care of

children and young people 2 2

Early years childhood policy & practice 1 1

Positive childcare 1 1

Early childhood studies 5 1 2 3 1 12

Early years development / learning 1 1

Early years studies 1 1 2

Management of childcare provision 1 1

Working with children 1 1

Working with children & young people 1 1

Total 18 4 22 11 46 21 23 22 10 177


There appear to be a number of opportunities for additional support from higher

education including:

• opportunity to custom build a qualification to the sector's needs, particularly in

terms of flexibility and modularization.

• developing a higher level of workplace competence.

• easier routes into HE from such qualifications as apprenticeships and NVQs.

• more awareness of progression routes to full degree or other higher-level learning

and qualifications from foundation degrees.

• more innovative and flexible ways of delivery, often designed around the

requirements of the workplace and the commitments of the employee.

• greater range of delivery modes and the ability to switch, eg between full-time, part-

time or at a distance, with on-going support from tutors and workplace mentor.

A joint project designed to improve understanding of the value of foundation degrees in

the children’s sector is being implemented during 2007. Following this, a framework for

foundation degrees in the sector may be developed. This will form part of our Sector

Learning Strategy. The project will contribute to widening participation by evidencing how

foundation degrees meet the needs of integration within the children’s workforce. It will

evidence the contribution that foundation degrees can make to improved access for

learners in the children’s workforce to higher level qualifications, to improved mobility

within and recruitment into the children’s workforce. The Children’s Workforce Network

(CWN) wishes to see a greater range of effective opportunities both in terms of

geographical coverage and of flexible, work-based programmes suitable for people in a

range of occupations within the children’s workforce.

The main output of the project will be a report detailing the effectiveness of foundation

degrees to date in meeting the needs of the IQF for children’s workers in England

including the extent to which employer’s needs are being met and the extent to which

current foundation degrees support transition between different children’s workforce

occupations and between levels of qualifications.

3.1.3 Qualifications available at Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4

Both NVQ and non-NVQ qualifications appropriate to the CWDC footprint are available at

Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4.

In early years and childcare, the National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) are based on

the National Occupational Standards for Children’s Care, Learning and Development

(CCLD)28. NVQs have been developed at Levels 2, 3 and 4 and are awarded by various

awarding bodies including: CACHE (Council for Awards in Children’s Care and

Education); Edexcel (now London Qualifications Ltd); C&G (City and Guilds); EDI

28

see for example the CWDC website at: www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/qualifications/


(Education Development International); NOCN (National Open College Network); NCFE

and ABC.

In addition, NVQ Level 4 in Residential Childcare, and NVQ Level 4 in Health and Social

Care: Children and Young People, are offered by City and Guilds.

NVQs in Learning, Development and Support Services are also available at Levels 3 and

4 for Learning Mentors and Education Welfare Officers.

Within children’s care, learning and development, roles at Level 2 can be found in:

Childminders’ own homes, Children’s Centres, Community based services, Crèches,

Daycare, Extended Schools, Hospitals, Nannies or home childcarers in the child’s own

home, Pre-schools / playgroups, Primary care, Schools, SureStart programmes. Roles at

Level 3 include: Childminder, Crèche Leader, Family Support Worker, Health Care

Support Worker, Nursery Supervisor, Playgroup Leader, Pre-School Leader, Special

Needs Support, Supervisory Role in Integrated Centre, Worker in SureStart Schemes.

It is difficult to identify with any certainty the essential qualifications for the CWDC

footprint; this will form part of the Sector Learning Strategy (SLS) development. To

facilitate the analysis of skills development and qualifications presented in Section 3

below, a subset of NVQ and non-NVQ qualifications has been selected and used in

analysis. This subset is shown in Tables 3.01 and 3.02 below and comprises those

qualifications which have been identified as mandatory or recommended for the different

fields of work and job roles covered by CWDC. This list is likely to be updated as the SLS

work progresses.

Quantitative information about learners working on these qualifications during the last

three years is provided in Section 3.3.4 below.

Table 3.01: NVQ qualifications used in analysis

Leve

l Qualification name

Awarding

Body

Year(s)

running

2 NVQ in Early Years Care and Education EDI 2004-05

2 NVQ in Early Years Care and Education CACHE 2003-04


2 NVQ in Early Years Care and Education C&G 2002-03


2 NVQ in Early Years Care and Education EDEXCEL 2002-05

2 NVQ in Child Care and Education (Work with Babies) CACHE 2002-03

2 NVQ in Child Care and Education (Work in Support of

Others) CACHE 2002-03

2 NVQ in Child Care and Education (Work in a Pre-School

Group) CACHE 2002-03

2 NVQ in Child Care and Education (Work in a Community CACHE 2002-03


Leve

l Qualification name

Awarding

Body

Year(s)

running

Run Pre-School Group)

2 NVQ in Child Care and Education (Group Care and

Education) CACHE 2002-03

2 NVQ in Child Care and Education (Family Day Care) CACHE 2002-03

2 NVQ in Child Care and Education (Pre-School Provision) CACHE 2002-03

2 NVQ in Child Care and Education (Family Day Care) J534 2002-03

2

NVQ in Child Care and Education (Group Care and

Education) J534

2002-03

2 NVQ in Child Care and Education (Work in a Pre-School

Group) J534 2002-03

2 NVQ in Child Care and Education (Pre-School Provision) J534 2002-03


Others) J534 2002-03

2 NVQ in Child Care and Education (Group Care and

Education) EDEXCEL 2002-03

2 NVQ in Child Care and Education (Work with Babies) EDEXCEL 2002-03


Others) EDEXCEL 2002-03

2 NVQ in Child Care and Education (Special Needs) CACHE 2002-03

3 NVQ in Early Years Care and Education EDI 2004-05

3 NVQ in Learning, Development & Support Services for

Children, Young People & Those who Care for Them EDEXCEL 2004-05


Children, Young People & Those who Care for Them OCR 2004-05



3 NVQ in Early Years Care and Education EDEXCEL 2002-05

3 NVQ in Caring for Children and Young People C&G 2002-05

3 NVQ in Caring for Children and Young People EDEXCEL 2002-05

3 NVQ in Caring for Children and Young People CACHE 2002-05


Children, Young People & Those who Care for Them OCR 2004-05



Table 3.02: non-NVQ qualifications used in analysis

Level Qualification name Awarding

Body

Year(s)

running

2 BTEC Certificate in Early Years Care and Education EDEXCEL 2004-05

2 BTEC First Diploma in Early Years EDEXCEL 2003-05


Level Qualification name Awarding

Body

Year(s)

running

2 C&G 6973 Progression Award: Early Years, Care &

Education

C&G 2002-04

2 Certificate in Child Care and Education CACHE 2002-05

2 Certificate in Child Care and Education CACHE 2002-05

2 Certificate in Pre-School Practice CACHE 2002-04

2 Certificate in Pre-School Practice CACHE 2002-05

2 Childcare and Education NCFE 2002-04

2 Childcare and Education Intermediate NOCN 2002-03

2 First Diploma in Early Years EDEXCEL 2002-03

2 Intermediate Diploma in Early Years EDEXCEL 2002-03

2 Progression Award in Early Years Care and Education C&G 2002-05

2 Child Care and Education ABC 2002-03

3 BTEC National Award in Early Years EDEXCEL 2003-05

3 BTEC National Certificate in Early Years EDEXCEL 2003-05

3 BTEC National Diploma in Early Years EDEXCEL 2003-05

3 Childcare and Education Advanced NOCN 2002-03

3 Diploma in Child Care and Education CACHE 2002-05

3 Diploma in Child Care and Education CACHE 2002-05

3 Diploma in Nursery Nursing (NNEB) CACHE 2002-05

3 Diploma in Pre-School Practice CACHE 2002-05

3 Diploma in Pre-School Practice CACHE 2002-05

3 National Certificate in Early Years EDEXCEL 2002-05

3 National Certificate in Early Years EDEXCEL 2002-03

3 National Diploma in Early Years EDEXCEL 2002-05

3 National Diploma in Early Years EDEXCEL 2002-03

3 Pre-school Practice Diploma PSLA 2002-05

3 Progression Award in Early Years Care and Education C&G 2004-05

4 Advanced Diploma in Child Care and Education CACHE 2002-05

4 Advanced Diploma in Child Care and Education CACHE 2002-05

The numbers of qualifications analysed in each year are:

• 2004-05: 32

• 2003-04: 32

• 2002-03: 50.

Apprenticeships

CWDC has responsibility for the Child Care Learning and Development (CCLD)

apprenticeship frameworks, including certification29. The CCLD was introduced in

November 2005 and replaced the Early Years Care & Education framework at Levels 2

and 3.

29

see: www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/qualifications/frameworkguidance.htm


Recent research30 shows the ‘case’ for apprenticeships to be clear:

• Apprenticeships improve business performance by making contributions to

competitiveness, profitability, productivity and quality.

• The net costs of Apprenticeship training are frequently lower than those involved in

training non-apprentices and the productivity of apprentices enables employers to

recover much of the costs involved.

• Apprentices more easily adopt organisational values, are more likely to remain with

the employer than non-apprentices and become part of a wider pool of talent that

can be drawn upon by all employers in the sector.

� Seeking to increase the diversity of the apprentice workforce will have significant

business benefits, as will as providing clear progression routes from Apprenticeship

to higher levels in the organisation.

However, there are a number of issues; Apprenticeships within the children’s care and

early years sector record high volumes of learners (16,467 average in learning numbers

for 2005/06) but have low achievement rates - measured as the completion of the whole

framework. Despite an increase from the previous year, total completion rates for the

Apprenticeship and Advanced Apprenticeship framework were 53% and 38% respectively

for 2005-06. Although success rates for the advanced apprenticeships are showing

some improvement, they remain low overall and are the lowest for all apprenticeships

across the work-based learning sector.

Figure 3.03: Early Years success rates 31

Consultation with the sector has identified a number of key issues behind the low

completion rates 32:

30

Apprenticeships Task Force, 2005; Apprenticeships Task Force: Final Report 31

Talisman, Issue 59, March 2007


• The sector regulatory standards at Level 2 results in a focus on NVQ-only

completion.

• The target age group of 16-18 year olds for Apprenticeship programmes present

difficulties in many settings when addressing the staff to adult ratio requirements.

Adult apprenticeships are targeted as having a level of maturity gained through

working with children and young people.

• The funding priority of Apprenticeships programme for the 16-18 age group may

not be appropriate for this sector.

• Many employers do not recognise the value of the broader skills and knowledge

acquired through an Apprenticeship framework.

• Many employers do not adequately support learners to complete an apprenticeship

framework .

• The delivery of an apprenticeship does not always support the learner to complete

the framework or to secure employment.

• Due to the image of the sector, some learners who are encouraged to undertake an

apprenticeship are not suitable for the programme, or who have poor basic skills.

3.1.4 Non-accredited training and qualifications

Non-accredited training and development includes introductory courses and induction

programmes for specific roles (eg introductory childminding courses and mandatory

training courses for learning mentors, foster carers etc), workshops, in-house training,

shadowing, job-swaps, and non-accredited continuing professional development.

There are many reasons why non-accredited training is preferred to accredited training.

These include:

• Accreditation is bureaucratic, time-consuming and unnecessary for many

organisations.

• Accreditation is seen as adding no value to many learners’ experience.

• Formal assessment is sometimes intimidating for members of the workforce who

have not had experience of learning for some time.

• Short courses are usually highly focused on immediate development needs and

can be cost-beneficial, both to individuals and their organisations.

• Many provisions satisfy needs for ‘just-in-time’ skill development, whereas this is

not possible for most accredited provision.

• Accredited training often needs a large time commitment which is sometimes

difficult for both individuals and their organisations, particularly where there are

recruitment and retention issues.

32

For example: Early Years, Childcare and Playwork Stakeholder Forum, 2006; Apprenticeship Task Group Final Report. Expert Panel – Funding Rates for NVQs and Apprenticeships Final Report 2006. Feedback from CWDC and LSC joint regional events – Apprenticeships in Action March 2007


There are a plethora of such provisions available, and many charities and membership

organisations offer a range of provisions for people working in the sector.

Many of these are listed in Table 3.04.

Table 3.04: Examples of organisations providing non-accredited training and

development

Organisation Key offers

Association of Educational Welfare management

(www.aewm.co.uk/)

Information and advice

British Association for Adoption and Fostering

(http://www.baaf.org.uk/)

A range of courses / workshops

British Association of Social Workers

(http://www.basw.co.uk/)

Active guidance in social work

practice through conferences and

training courses

General Social Care Council (www.gscc.org.uk/) Information and advice on

accredited qualifications / courses

Local Authorities training and development arm (see

individual local authorities’ websites for details)

Information and advice on

courses available

Maternity & Nanny Training

(http://www.mynannynetwork.co.uk/)

A range of courses

National Association of Social Workers

(www.socialworkers.org/)

Conferences, workshops,

distance learning and online

courses

National Childminding Association (www.ncma.org.uk/) Short training courses on a wide

range of specific issues

National Day Nursery Association (www.ndna.org.uk/) A three strand training

programme suitable for all those

working in childcare and early

years education

National Institute of Adult Continuing Education

(NIACE) (www.niace.org.uk)

Wide range of short CPD courses

and workshops

National Portage Association (www.portage.org.uk/) Basic 3/4 day portage training

workshops; advanced modules in

play and home visiting, emotional

support and working with children

with multiple learning difficulties

NCMA Children Come First childminding

(http://www.ncmaccf.org.uk/) networks also offers a

range of training opportunities for childminders.

Pre-school Learning Alliance(http://www.pre-

school.org.uk/TQA/guide/learningjourneys.pdf)

Accredited qualifications and non-

accredited courses

Professional Association of Nursery Nurses


Organisation Key offers

(http://www.pat.org.uk/index.cfm?param=content/pann.

htm) – no courses

Steiner Waldorf (www.steinerwaldorf.org.uk/) A range of professional

development courses

The Association of Educational Psychologists A range of courses including the

AEP annual course and others:

http://www.aep.org.uk/Courses/C

o2006/2006_programme.pdf

The Association of Nanny Agencies (www.anauk.org/) Information and advice

The Division of Educational and Child Psychology of

British Psychological Society

(http://www.bps.org.uk/decp/decp_home.cfm)

Information and advice on

accredited qualifications / courses

etc

The National Association of Children’s Information

Services

Information and advice

The National Fostering Agency

(http://www.thefosteringagency.com/index.htm)

A range of courses and

workshops

The National Fostering Network

(http://www.fostering.net/)

A range of courses and

workshops

It is often difficult to collect reliable information about non-accredited training, for example

about registration, completion, uptake, cost of provision, or what proportion of learners

are already in the workforce and doing the courses as part of their CPD and what

proportion are not currently in the workforce and are undertaking personal/community

development with a view to moving onto qualifications or employment. This is potentially

a significant area for consideration of development of intelligence systems by CWDC.

One source of information is the learndirect database which gives an indication of the number of

providers offering non-accredited training:


Table 3.05 Approx no. of providers offering

training to childcare staff

First aid 8,100

Childcare training 4.900

Food hygiene 4,900

Child protection 4,600

Health and safety 3,800

Special needs 2,550

Management/business skills 1,650

Early years training 1,600

Behaviour training 950

Equal opportunities 600

Total 28,755

3.1.5 CPD: Post-qualifying awards in social work

Social workers are encouraged to keep their skills and knowledge up-to-date. One way

to do this is through studying for a post-qualifying (PQ) award. Qualified social workers

can study for six post-qualifying awards which are approved by the GSCC:

• Post-Qualifying Award in Social Work (PQSW).

• Advanced Award in Social Work (AASW).

• Child Care Award (CCA, and sometimes referred to as PQCCA).

• Mental Health Social Work Award (MHSWA) which enables a social worker to

practice as an Approved Social Worker (ASW).

• Practice Teacher Award (PTA).

• Regulation of Care Services Award (RCSA).

In February 2005, the GSCC launched the revised post-qualifying (PQ) framework for

social work education and training. The framework builds on the new social work degree

and takes into account all the changes that have taken place in social work practice in

recent years. People who use services and carers will be central to post-qualifying

education and training. The framework will allow social workers to continue their

education and training in a flexible and modular way and comes into force in September

2007.

There are three ‘levels’ of awards in the new framework, each corresponding to a

particular stage of professional and career development, with specialist strands, one of

which relates specifically to children and young people, their families and carers:

Table 3.06

New award Specialist strands

Post-Qualifying Award in

Specialist Social Work Children

and young

Mental

health Adult

social

Practice

education Leadership

and



Higher Specialist Social

Work


Advanced Social Work.

and young

people, their

families and

carers

social

care

and

management

Under the current system, funding for PQ training is allocated to the General Social Care

Council (GSCC) who distributes it via regional PQ consortia. Under the new system,

funding will be allocated to Skills for Care in liaison with Children’s Workforce

Development Council (CWDC) and managed by Regional Planning Networks for PQ

(RPNPQ). RPNPQs will be fully integrated with the Learning Resource Network and will

manage training for both adults and children’s social services. Figures for Post Qualifying

registrations and achievements are shown in Section 3.3.

3.1.6 CPD: Management training and qualifications

There appears to be no definitive list of the qualifications available to managers, but

shown below is a range which is applicable to the children’s and early years workforce:

• NVQ Assessor Awards.

• Management NVQ Level 3/4/5.

• Registered Managers Award (RMA).

• Championing Children training.

• Certificate in Management Studies (CMS).

• Diploma in Management Studies (DMS).

• Diploma in Care Services Management (DCSM).

• Master of Business Administration (MBA).

3.1.7 Qualifications planned within the next two years

From September 2007, Edexcel will also be offering: National Award in Children’s Care,

Learning and Development; National Certificate in Children’s Care, Learning and

Development; and National Diploma in Children’s Care, Learning and Development,

From 2008, the new 14-19 Specialised Diploma, Society, Health and Development, will

be piloted33. This is a complex qualification aimed at young people between the ages of

14-19 in full time education. The Diploma will be available at Levels 1, 2 and 3, with the

Level 3 being equivalent to 3 A levels and providing access to relevant higher education

and professional learning programmes. The Specialised Diploma is designed to provide

young people for whom the traditional academic route is not appropriate, with an

alternative and challenging learning programme. The delivery is designed to focus on

applied learning and at Level 3, students will have an opportunity to spend 20 days in a

sector based working environment. CWDC with its CWN partners has been closely

involved in the development of the new Specialised Diploma and will continue to monitor

33

eg see: www.qca.org.uk


and evaluate the pilot to ensure that it provides appropriate learning for young people

who wish to enter the children’s workforce.

3.2 Training and development provision

3.2.1 Learning provision: higher education

Provision at higher education level comprises first (bachelors) degrees; foundation

degrees; and post-graduate awards (including post-qualifying awards for social workers

and a range of management development opportunities).

Foundation degrees

It is difficult to analyse foundation degree provision for the children’s and young people’s

workforce alone. This is due to a number of factors including: designation comes under

several broad headings (eg ‘Health’ and ‘Community and social studies’); diversity in

content (eg some foundation degrees are titled ‘health and social care’ but the curriculum

is totally health; some titles hide the fact that the foundation degree is focused on children

and young people); and also the broad category used in HESA data: “Others in subjects

allied to medicine”). We plan to undertake further work on identifying and analysing

foundation degrees.

Table 3.07: Titles of established foundation degrees include (at 2007)34

Title No. of

courses

Addressing Additional Needs from Children to Young Adults 1

Applied Psychology 2

Care (including similar titles – eg social care) 12

Child and Adolescent Mental Health 1

Child and Adolescent Studies (including similar titles) 3

Counselling (including similar titles) 18

Every Child Matters 1

Families, Parenting and Communities 7

Health, Community and Social Care 2

Integrated Practice (EYS Child and Young People) 6

Integrative Counselling 2

Leadership and Management 1

Learning Disabilities 1

Professional Learning in Children's & Young People's Services 1

Psychology (including similar titles) 2

Substance Misuse 3

Voluntary and Community Development (including similar titles) 6

Working with Children and Young People (including similar titles) 16

Youth and Community (including similar titles) 7

34

See: http://www.fdf.ac.uk/courses/index.php


Approximately 65% of learners studying foundation degrees in 2003-04 and 2004–05

were registered on a course broadly described as ‘social work’; over 32% on courses

described as ‘other subjects allied to medicine’; and a very small percentage on

psychology courses. Total numbers have risen sharply over the last four years, however

percentages have remained roughly the same, with slightly fewer registered on social

work courses as shown in Figure 3.08:

Figure 3.08

Number of foundation degree students at UK higher education

institutions by subject (2002/03 - 2005/06)

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06

Academic year

Num

ber

of stu

dents

(L5) Social work

Others in (C8) Psychology

Others in (B9) Others in subjects allied to medicine

Source (this and following graphs): HESA data


There is regional variation on all of these subject areas, for example for social work and

‘other subjects allied to medicine’ as shown in Figures 3.09 and 3.10.

Figure 3.09

(L5) Social work (Foundation degree) - Number of learners by region

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Eas

t

Eas

t Midland

s

Lond

on

North

Eas

t

North

Wes

t

Sou

th E

ast

Sou

th W

est

West

Midlands

Yor

kshire

& T

he H

umber

North

ern Ir

eland

Sco

tland

Wale

s

Region

Nu

mb

er

of

learn

ers

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

NB alpha-numerics (eg ‘L5’) in the titles refer to codes used in the source HESA data

Figure 3.09 shows the significant regional variation in terms of numbers of learners taking

the Social work Foundation degree. While the East, East Midlands, South East and South

West have seen a relatively steady increase in numbers, the West Midlands has seen

numbers significantly decrease, while there was an anomalous year for the North East in

2004/5 when learner numbers were very high, and numbers have since dropped.

First degrees

There is a wide range of first degrees available which have varying applicability to the

children and young people’s workforce. The analysis which follows is based on HESA

data obtained for each year between 2002-03 and 2005-06. The HESA data available

does not allow detailed analysis subject by subject. Below, we have focused on results

for 2005-06, noting any significant differences with previous years.

Approximately 55% of learners are studying on a course broadly described as

‘psychology’; 25% on a social work degree; 14% on ‘subjects allied to medicine’; and 6%

on occupational therapy. Over the past four years, the total number studying increased

steadily, and those studying social work (degree / DipSW) has increased from 18% to

25% of the total as shown in Figure 3.10.


Figure 3.10

Number of first degree students at UK higher education institutions

(2002/03 - 2005/06)

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06

Academic year

Nu

mb

er

of

stu

de

nts

(L5) Social work


(C812) Educational psychology


(B930) Occupational therapy


There is regional variation on all of these subject areas35, for example for psychology and

social work as shown in Figures 3.11 and 3.12.

Figure 3.11

Others in (C8) Psychology (First degree) - Number of learners

by region

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

East

East M

idla

nds

Lond

on

North E

ast

North W

est

South

East

South

Wes

t

West

Mid

lands

Yorks

hire &

The

Hum

ber

Norther

n Irel

and

Scotla

nd

Wale

s

Region

Nu

mb

er

of

learn

ers

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

Figure 3.11 shows that there has been a steady increase in all regions in the number of

learners taking Psychology as a first degree. In three regions; London, South East and

Yorkshire & the Humber, there was a particularly large increase in the latest year, 2005/6.

Similarly, the number so learners taking Social work as a first degree has risen year on

year in nearly all of the regions, except 2003/4, where there was a marked drop in all of

them (Figure 3.12). The North East is slightly anomalous, however, as it saw a drop in the

number of learners in the last year of the data, 2005/6, while in the East Midlands there

was no significant increase between 2004/5 and 2005/6. Most notable is the huge

increase in numbers in the South East since 2004/5.

35

Baselining Work Based Learning. Internal report by Pervez Aktar, Skills for Care, March 2007


Figure 3.12

(L5) Social work (First degree) - Number of learners by region

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

East

East Midlands

London

North East

North W

est

South East

South West

West Midlands

Yorkshire & The Humber

Northern Ire

land

ScotlandWales

Region

Nu

mb

er

of

learn

ers

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

The majority of course participants are aged 30 to 44. However there are over 600

students across England under 20 years of age.

Approximately 88% of course provision is provided on a full time basis. Part time

provision varies throughout the country with the North West and London leading the way.

The South West, North East and West Midlands provide the least part time provision. It is

notable that the South West and North East have low levels of participation in Social

Work degrees and other related programmes as outlined earlier. Lack of part time

flexible provision may well be a barrier to participation, particularly given the age profile of

the majority of students.

The social work degree has a significant element of practice learning. The number of

days has grown significantly, and projections show there is a trend to increase demand

consistently over the next few years.


Figure 3.13

Regional Social Work Practice Learning Days

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

2003-4 2004-5 2005-6 2006-7 2007-8 2008-9

Academic Year (1/10-30/9)

Num

ber

of D

ays E

EM

L

SE

SW

NE

NW

WM

YH

Source: Baselining Work-Based Learning. Skills for Care, March 2007

Masters degrees

Again, Masters degrees are offered in a wide range of subject areas which have varying

applicability to the children’s and young people’s workforce.

Approximately 41% of learners are studying ‘subjects allied to medicine’; 31%

psychology; 25% social work; and a small percentage occupational therapy. Whilst

numbers have increased steadily over the last four years, the proportions have remained

remarkably similar as shown in Figure 3.14.


Figure 3.14

Number of Masters students at UK Higher Education Institutions by

subject (2002/03 - 2005/06)

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06

Academic year

Nu

mb

er

of s

tud

en

ts

(L5) Social work


(C812) Educational psychology


(B930) Occupational therapy

There is regional variation on all of these subject areas, for example for psychology and

social work as shown in Figures 3.15 and 3.16.

Figure 3.15

Others in (C8) Psychology (Masters) - Number of learners by region

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

East

East M

idla

nds

Lond

on

Nor

th E

ast

Nor

th W

est

South

East

South

Wes

t

West

Mid

land

s

Yorks

hire &

The

Hum

ber

Nor

ther

n Ire

land

Scotla

nd

Wale

s

Region

Nu

mb

er

of

learn

ers

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

While the number of learners does not noticeably increase for Psychology (Masters) over

the years surveyed, except in London, there is a clear increase in most regions in the


number of individuals studying for a Social Work (Masters); North West, Yorkshire & the

Humber, London, the South East and the South West.

Figure 3.16

(L5) Social Work (Masters) - Number of learners by region

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

North E

ast

North W

est

Yorks

hire &

The

Hum

ber

East M

idla

nds

West

Mid

lands

East

Lond

on

South

East

South

Wes

t

Wale

s

Scotla

nd

Norther

n Irel

and

Region

Nu

mb

er

of

lea

rne

rs

2002/03

2003/04

2004/05

2005/06

3.2.2 CPD provision: Post-qualifying awards in social work

Post qualification (PQ) training covers a numbers of different courses that social workers

undertake once they have qualified. This training is usually undertaken through a mix of

work- based learning. The training is aimed at developing and consolidating learning that

has been gained whilst training as a social worker and also more specific training to

develop specialist skills in undertaking specific duties. There are PQ awards in childcare,

social work and practice teacher training. The main award supporting the continuing

professional development of children and families social workers is the post-qualifying

childcare award (PQCCA).

The number of PQ Award registrations in social work have remained roughly constant

over the last 4 years at about 4,000 per year, apart from in London where there has been

almost a 40% increase. Completions in each year have risen steadily over the same

period, from about 670 in 2002-03 to 1,000 in 2005-06.

Registrations for the Advanced Award in Social Work (AASW) have increased by almost

50% in London but have decreased in other regions. Completions have been broadly

constant at about 90 per year, apart from in 2005-06 where they have fallen to under 70.

Registrations for the Practice Teaching Programme have remained roughly constant in all

regions apart from London where there has been a 35% increase. Completions have

been broadly constant at between about 500-580 per year.


3.2.3 CPD provision – management training and qualifications

There appears to be no definitive list of the qualifications available to managers, but

shown in Figure 3.17 are the numbers of staff in local authority social services

departments holding or studying for a range of management qualifications at 30

September 2003 by job function. This shows that 65% of managers either held or were

working towards a management qualification. Once again, this data is not available for

the children’s workforce only, so these figures include both adult and children’s social

services.

Table 3.17: Staff in local authority social services departments holding or studying for a

range of management qualifications

Job function (see notes) Management Practice Support and

development Total

H S H S H S H S

No. of local authorities responding: 84 90 84 90 84 90 84 90

Estimated total holding / studying for

management qualifications 7,260 3,470 3,981 1,907 1,726 576 12,976 5,961

% % % % % % % %

NVQ Assessor D32/D33/D34/D36 35 26 60 56 51 34 44 36

Management NVQ Level 3/4/5 17 35 12 23 16 27 15 31

Certificate in Management Studies

(CMS) 17 14 10 6 11 6 14 10

Diploma in Management Studies

(DMS) 11 6 4 3 7 8 8 5

Diploma in Care Services

Management (DCSM) 3 1 2 2 1 0 2 2

Master of Business Administration

(MBA) 2 1 0 1 1 2 1 1

Other management qualifications 16 16 12 9 13 22 14 15

Share of total staff holding / studying

for management qualifications 56 58 31 23 13 10 100 100

Estimated % of total SSD workforce 43.5 20.8 2.8 1.0 2.5 0.8 4.7 2.2

Source: SCHWG social services workforce survey 2003 (England)

Key: H: Holding, S: Studying

3.2.4 Learning provision – Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4

It is difficult to identify with any certainty the essential qualifications for the CWDC

footprint; this will form part of our Sector Learning Strategy (SLS) development. To

facilitate the analysis of skills development and qualifications presented in this Section, a

subset of NVQ and non-NVQ qualifications has been used. This subset is shown in


Figures 3.17 and 3.18 and comprises those qualifications which have been identified as

mandatory or recommended for the different fields of work and job roles covered by

CWDC.

Information on NVQs and non-NVQ qualifications which follows has been compiled from

analysis of datasets available from the LSC and NISVQ (National Information System for

Vocational Qualifications)36. The NISVQ data are based on number of awards made in a

particular year whereas the LSC data is based on ‘on programme’ learners and

enrolments per year. Where possible, analysis has been undertaken for the years 2002-

02, 2003-04 and 2004-05 to indicate trends; however, comparison year-to-year should be

treated with caution, as all key qualifications have not been offered in all three years (see

Figure 3.17 above). Therefore although overall trends can be shown, each year is made

up of a different set of qualifications.

There are issues and complexities associated with obtaining available data on the

qualifications relevant to the sector. In terms of access to LSC data, there is a standard

data specification provided to all SSCs which is based on the qualifications which fall

under the Learndirect Classification System (LDCS). In using this approach, the

downside of using this approach is that the data returned contained vast amounts of

information on qualifications which are not relevant to the sector. This is demonstrated

by Figure 3.18 which provides a summary of the most popular qualifications contained in

the LSC return (the 20 with the most learners) and shows the broader picture of those

qualifications that fall under the ‘children’s and young people’s’ heading37. Despite not

being classed as key qualifications for the sector.

The Skills for Business network and LSC are working together to agree a common

approach to requests for data in the future.

Table 3.18: Summary of most popular qualifications

No. Learners38 Qualification Name Level

Awarding

body 02/03 03/04 04/05

Award in Caring for Children 1 CACHE 2,011 3,521 4,140

Key Skills - Working with Others 1 EDEXCEL 6,404 5,470 28

Key Skills - Working with Others 1 C&G 4,529 4,976 83

Key Skills in Working with Others 1 C&G 5,639

Key Skills in Working With Others 1 EDEXCEL 4,507

learndirect Experience (The) 1 UFI 4,641

Certificate in Child Care and Education 2 CACHE 4,757 7,026 7,557

GNVQ in Intermediate Health and Social

Care 2 EDEXCEL 3,095 3,944 3,477

36

NISVQ summarises information on NVQs, VRQs and other VQs outside the national framework made by 24 of the major awarding bodies 37

NB this list has not been used in detailed analyses which follow 38

Includes both ‘on programme’ learners and enrolments in a particular year


No. Learners38 Qualification Name Level

Awarding

body 02/03 03/04 04/05

Key Skills - Working with Others 2 EDEXCEL 9,298 7,711 190

Key Skills - Working with Others 2 CG 4,674 6,516 491

Key Skills in Working With Others 2 EDEXCEL 6,417

Key Skills in Working with Others 2 C&G 6,379

NVQ in Care 2 CG 14,047 16,452 12,403

NVQ in Care 2 EDEXCEL 7,876 9,115 7,379

NVQ in Early Years Care and Education 2 CACHE 3,891 4,152

Advanced VCE (Double Award) in Health

and Social Care is this CWDC? 3 EDEXCEL 4,802 3,806 2,874

Award in Assessing Candidates Using a

Range of Methods 3 C&G 1,511 4,964 6,284

BTEC National Diploma in Early Years 3 EDEXCEL 4,352 7,068 6,680

Certificate in Childminding Practice 3 CACHE 922 3,985 3,231

Certificate in Delivering Learning: An

Introduction 3 C&G 31 4,055 7,622

Certificate in Delivering Learning: An

Introduction 3 C&G 31 4,055 7,622

D32 Assess Candidate Performance 3 C&G 5,144 741 94

D33 Assess Candidate Using Differing

Sources of Evidence 3 C&G 4,034 628 47

Diploma in Child Care and Education 3 CACHE 7,917 12,523 12,975

Diploma in Pre-School Practice 3 C&G 1,870 3,714 3,894

NVQ in Care is this CWDC? 3 C&G 7,770 9,215 7,932

NVQ in care is this CWDC? 3 EDEXCEL 4,125 5,157 4,979

NVQ in Early Years Care and Education 3 C&G 5,689 5,553 5,401

NVQ in Early Years Care and Education 3 EDEXCEL 4,021 3,911 3,672

NVQ in Early Years Care and Education 3 CACHE 7,995 7,881

TOTAL 113,551 145,992 144,030

Numbers of learner enrolments by qualifications level

For both key NVQ and non-NVQ qualifications, the numbers of enrolments has shown an

increase between 2002 and 2003 but has remained roughly stable between 2003 and

2004 and 2004 and 2005 as shown in Figures 3.19 and 3.20.


Figure 3.19

Key NVQs: Enrolments by Level

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

2002-03 2003-04 2004-05

Year

No

. E

nro

lmen

ts

Level 4

Level 3

Level 2

Source: LSC data

The figures show that for non-NVQ qualifications, the proportion of Level 4 enrolments is

smaller than for previous years. This contrasts with the key NVQ where Level 4

enrolments have increased since 2002/3.

Figure 3.20

Key non-NVQ Qualifications: enrolments by level

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

2002-03 2003-04 2004-05

Year

No

. E

nro

lmen

ts

Level 4

Level 3

Level 2

Source: LSC data

Age profile of learners

According to the data gathered by the LSC, the vast majority of learners on key NVQ

qualifications are in the 25-59 age range, the proportion increases with Level, This is


largely because the lower levels are more popular with the under 19 group, which makes

up 12% of level 1 students, but less than 1% of level 4 students. The proportion of

students in the 19-24 category is consistent across levels 2, 3 and 4, at around 12%.

Between 2002 and 2003 and 2004 and 2005, there has been a slight increase in both the

number and the proportion of 19-24 year olds. The differences in age profile of non-NVQ

qualifications is far more marked, with 63% of level2 students and 65% of level 3 students

falling into the Under 19 category, but just 2% of level 4 students. The majority of level 4

students are 25-59, while the number of 19-24 year olds increases as the level increases.

The regional distribution (see Figure 3.21) is varied, with the North West showing the

greatest number of NVQs being awarded overall, and also with the greatest range of

ages. Awards in the North East are lowest in all age categories, except among the under

19s, where there are fewer awards made in the Eastern region. The distribution by age

and region has remained similar from 2002/03 to 2004/5, however, overall total numbers

have increased. The distribution is clear in the chart below which shows the 2004/5 data.

Figure 3.21

Source: NISVQ

Gender profile of learners

The proportion of females is significantly higher (over 90%) in all years for both NVQ and

non-NVQ qualifications. The most popular qualification for men according to this data is

the key NVQ level 3, which has approximately 8% men. Overall fewer men have enrolled

on key non-NVQ qualifications than on NVQ courses. The Learning Disability Support

Services LDSS NVQ was not included in the data collection mentioned above, however

enrolment on that course reflects the overall trend, with just 9% of students being male.

2004/05 Key NVQs Awarded: Re gion by Age

0500

100015002000250030003500400045005000

East

East M

idland

s

Lond

on

Nor

th E

ast

Nor

th W

est

South

Eas

t

South

Wes

t

Wes

t Midland

s

Yorks

hire

& T

he H

umbe

r

Region

No

. A

ward

ed 60-75

25-59

19-24

Under 19


Ethnicity of learners

The majority of learners (over 80%) at all levels and in all years state their ethnicity as

white, with those stating their ethnicity as Asian being the second largest ethnic group, at

about 7% in 2004-05. The 2001 census shows that country-wide 4.4% of the population

identify themselves as Asian, while 2.2% identify themselves as black, there is therefore a

difference in the ethnicity profile of learners compared to the national profile. Figures 3.22

and 3.23 below show the breakdown in more detail for both NVQ and non-NVQ students.

Figure 3.22

Ethnicity of learners on key NVQs

0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

Year

No. Enrolments

Asian

Black

Chinese

Mixed Race

White

Other

Not Provided

Source: LSC data

As Figure 3.23, below, shows, the proportions of learners in terms of ethnicity is similar

for non-NVQ qualifications as NVQ qualifications. Moreover, the proportions appear to be

steady over the years shown, 2002/3 – 2004/5.

Figure 3.23

Ethnicity of learners on key non-NVQ qualifications

0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 40,000

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

Year

No. Enrolments

Asian

Black

Chinese

Mixed Race

White

Other

Not Provided

Source: LSC data


Delivery mode

The availability of different qualifications by different modes of delivery affects the student

profile, given, for example, the preference of some students for classroom contact, and

the need for other students to study on a distance-learning course. The LSC has

collected data for the key NVQs and for non-NVQ qualifications according to the mode of

delivery. The category ‘NVQ’ in Figure 3.24 refers to work-based learning, both full and

part time, given their vocational nature, the proportion of work-based learning on NVQs is

far greater than for non-NVQ qualifications.

Figure 3.24

Delivery mode - learners on key NVQs

0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

Year

No. Learners

class contact

distance learning

NVQ

Source: LSC

The vast majority (over 90%) of learners studying for an NVQ do so full time, whereas

most studying for a non-NVQ qualification do so part-time (about 70%).

Completion and achievement

Both completion and achievement data should be treated with particular caution: the

figures below show number of completions/achievements in each year, but this does not

relate to the number of enrolments as the figures are ‘in year’ (ie people continuing from

the previous year plus new enrolments).

In NVQs, roughly equal proportions in any one year complete as do continue, with a

smaller number (about 13%) withdrawing. In non-NVQs, higher proportions complete in

any one year (about 50%) with a slightly higher proportion of withdrawals (about 16%).

The data collected shows that although overall numbers have increased, the proportions

of individuals continuing, completing and withdrawing have stayed approximately

constant. However, in 2004/5 there were slightly more completions than in previous years

(Figure 3.25).


Figure 3.25

Completion status - learners on key NVQs

0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

Year

No. Learners

Continue

Completed

Withdrawn

Transferred

Source: LSC

This is true also of non-NVQ qualifications, although overall numbers have changed less

between 2002/3 and 2004/5, the number of completions has slightly increased.

Figure 3.26

Completion status - learners on key non-NVQ qualifications

0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 40,000

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

Year

No. Enrolments

Continue

Completed

Withdrawn

Transferred

Source: LSC

The LSC data shows that overall achievement has increased since 2002/3, while the

numbers of people partially or not achieving at all has stayed around the same. More

people are now completing in year than in 2002/3, so fewer are shown to be continuing

(Figure 3.27).


Figure 3.27

Achievement status - learners on key NVQs

0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 40,000

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

Year

No. Learners

Achieved

Partially Achieved

No achievement

Course Completed -Exam not Taken

Continuing

Source: LSC

This is also true of non-NVQ qualifications, which have seen a steady increase in the

numbers achieving their qualification. There are also fewer people completing the course,

but not taking the exam. Again, this means there are more people achieving in year and

fewer continuing to the next (Figure 3.28).

Figure 3.28

Achievement status - learners on key non-NVQ qualifications

0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 40,000

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

Year

No. Enrolments

Achieved

Partially Achieved

No achievement

Course Completed -Exam not Taken

Continuing

Source: LSC

Gender

The awarding of key NVQs by gender breakdown shows that, just as enrolments are

hugely biased towards women, so those awarded the qualification are predominantly

female. However, compared to the proportion of men enrolling on courses, there is a

higher proportion of men awarded the qualifications over the years shown.

Age

The proportion of Under 19 year olds being awarded NVQs has increased by a small but

steady amount between 2002/3 and 2004/5. In contrast, the proportion of students aged


25-59 being awarded NVQs has increased the most, to form an ever-increasingly large

proportion of the overall pass rate. The number of people aged 60-75 being awarded

NVQs has remained constant, and extremely small, however, this reflects the low

enrolment levels within this age group. The breakdown is shown in Figure 3.29 below.

Figure 3.29

Key NVQs Awarded: Age Group

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

2002-03 2003-04 2004-05

Year

No.

Aw

arde

d 60-75

25-59

19-24

Under 19

Source: NISVQ

Provider profile

As noted earlier, there is a wide range of training providers supporting workforce

development across the CWDC footprint, including those within the public, private and

voluntary sectors. Most recent data shows that there has been a shift towards provision

by FE, tertiary or 6th form college, and away from private training provision. Moreover,

the numbers of NVQs being awarded to those studying through employment has

reduced, while school provision has also decreased.


Figure 3.30

Key NVQs Awarded: Centre Type

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2002-03 2003-04 2004-05

Year

Unknown

All others [prison, YOI, forces,overseas]

Employer

Voluntary organisation

Local or central govt/NHS

Private Training provider

University or other HE centre

Adult Education Centre

FE, tertiary or 6th form college

School

Source: NISVQ

The regional breakdown of this data reveals that in 2002/3 the biggest regional

differences are in employer provision, most common in the East Midlands, and least in

the South West. In the North East there is a particular emphasis on school provision,

while in the North West, University and other Higher Education providers are more

common than elsewhere. In all regions, the largest amount of NVQ provision is by private

training organisations.

By 2004/5, the shift is clearly taking place towards provision by FE, tertiary or 6th form

college. Moreover, in the East, East midlands and the South East particularly, there has

been a significant increase in the provision made by Adult Education Centres and

Universities and other HE centres. In the East school provision has increased, while

everywhere else it has decreased.


Figure 3.31

2004/05 Key NVQs Awarded: Region by Centre Type

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

East

East M

idla

nds

Lond

on

Nor

th E

ast

Nor

th W

est

South

Eas

t

South

Wes

t

Wes

t Midla

nds

Yorks

hire

& T

he H

umbe

r

Region

Unknown

All others [prison, YOI, forces,overseas]

Employer

Voluntary organisation

Local or central govt/NHS

Private Training provider

University or other HE centre

Adult Education Centre

FE, tertiary or 6th form college

School

Source: NISVQ

Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs)

A CoVE is an area of provision within a post-16 education and training institution that has

been recognised as delivering vocational training which effectively addresses an

identified local, sectoral, regional or national skills priority. CoVEs are intended,

“To develop new, and enhance existing, excellent vocational provision

which is focused on meeting the skills needs of employers ... seeking to

give a greater number of individuals from all backgrounds access to the

high quality vocational training which they need to succeed in a modern

economy.”39

In addition, CoVEs aim to widen participation in learning and to provide progression

routes into higher education, in particular to foundation degrees. Established from 2001

CoVEs are based on close links between the education provider, business partners, other

employment interests and communities. Since then, CoVEs have been established in

other provider organisations.

The LSC impact evaluation40 2006 Impact of the Centres of Vocational Excellence

(CoVE) Programme: Attitude and Engagement of Employers and Key Stakeholders

included social care CoVEs. The study findings are broadly positive and suggest that the

CoVE programme is building foundations that will support attitudinal change. While

evidence of actual attitudinal change was limited (as was expected given the relatively

39

Statement by the Secretary of State for Education and Employment on the Future of Further Education in England, November 2000; Colleges for Excellence and Innovation 40

Learning and Skills Council, 2006; Impact of the Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) Programme: Attitude and Engagement of Employers and Key Stakeholders


early stage development of the CoVE network) there are clear signs of the programme’s

influence in a number of areas:

• A significant shift in the attitudes of employers using CoVEs towards engagement

with the FE sector. 60% of employers who had not used FE provision in the past

said they would definitely or probably consider doing so in the future.

• A positive change in attitudes towards training amongst employers engaging with

CoVEs but yet to use CoVE training services – with 71% of employers stating that

their experience of a CoVE has made them more likely to undertake more training

in the future.

• Recognition amongst stakeholders that CoVEs have the potential to be strategic

partners in the future – seen by stakeholders’ willingness to engage with the CoVE

programme and the creation of opportunities through which CoVEs can engage

with sectors and regions strategically.

• The intention of non-CoVE providers to further and deepen their levels of

engagement with CoVEs in the future.

Figure 3.32: Early years and social care CoVEs by Region

Region Number

Social care Early years Total FE-

based41

Total WBL-

based

East Midlands 2 3 4

Eastern 5 5

London 8 3 8 1

North East 2 1 1

North West 5 2 6

South Eastern 7 2 6 1

South West 5 2 6

West Midlands 5 5

Yorkshire & Humber 1 1 2

Total: 40 13 43 3

3.2.5 Learning provision: non-accredited learning

Qualitative studies and informal findings demonstrate that there are a myriad of short

unaccredited programmes undertaken within the workforce and by employers. However,

as these programmes are often not funded by statutory sources, there are no data

systems in place to capture the profile of activity; the development of the National

Minimum Dataset for social care (NMDS-SC) will however go a considerable way in

addressing this knowledge gap for those parts of the CWDC footprint that is covered. We

intend to undertake further work to rectify this lack of information.

41

Note some CoVEs cover both categories

Section 4: Delivery capacity and take-up


4. Delivery capacity and take-up

4.1 Current capacity

The current provision of training and development is described in Section 3 of this report.

There is little evidence which suggests that there is a lack of capacity amongst providers

‘to deliver what is currently delivered’, other than due to funding limitations.

Key barriers to increasing delivery capacity include:

• Lack of funding. Capacity is ultimately controlled by the amount of overall funding.

For both FE and non-FE providers, recent LSC moves towards a reduction in

funding for 19+, together with lack of LSC funding for short courses to meet a

specific need (in particular, non-accredited provision) limits delivery capacity. For

FE, this is exacerbated by the increasing focus on colleges as ‘primary’ / ‘initial’

providers and for non-FE providers, by an overall reduction in funding available to

them.

• Shortages of appropriate staff in particular assessors and verifiers, but also tutors

in some cases, This often relates to not being able to pay tutors at a level

commensurate with their expertise.

• Lack of market awareness and knowledge amongst providers.

• Difficulties for non-FE providers who have to establish franchise arrangements with

FE colleges as a main route to funding.

• Practical considerations including lack of suitable space for delivery; travel

difficulties for participants.

Key opportunities for increasing delivery capacity include:

• Access to increasing funding support (eg via Train to Gain, as noted in the Leitch

report42) and in particular, work-related Level 2 training.

• A more coherent, consistent, facilitative and sustainable approach to funding

sources, both mainstream and ‘project-based’, enabling providers easier, less

bureaucratic and more timely access, therefore increasing capacity to the benefit of

learners.

• Measures to increase the number of quality assessors and the perception of staff

that assessment can be integral to other job roles rather than a stand-alone

function. Also, increased training of senior staff and managers to facilitate the

assessment process and being able to pay at a level commensurate with

qualifications and expertise.

• Measures to increase the number of internal verifiers, for example CPD

opportunities and ‘sharing’ the pool of verifiers between providers.

42

Treasury, 2006; Prosperity for all in the global economy – world class skills (Leitch report)

Section 4: Delivery capacity and take-up


• Training in appropriate marketing and promotion of provisions including helping

raise awareness amongst employers of the importance of workforce development.

However, the key needs are to improve the coherence between provision of training and

development and the likely skill needs of the ‘workforce of the future’ (including short-

courses and non-accredited provisions); to ensure that qualifications are developed

around the requirements of the Common Core of Skills and Knowledge; and to ensure

that funding facilitates the achievement of these, in a flexible way. These issues are

explored fully in section 7.3 of this report.

Section 6: Funding and investment in training and development


5. Evaluation and quality of provision

5.1 Quality framework

Centred around the needs of people who use services, the Options for Excellence

review43 set-out a quality framework which describes the key components for ensuring

quality and for promoting good practice. Although the review focused on adult and

children’s social care, the framework is equally applicable to all parts of the children and

young people’s workforce.

Figure 5.00

5.2 Quality issues

As part of the consultations held by CWDC as part of the SSA Stages 1 and 2, a number

of quality issues were identified.

Quality of training and qualifications

• How to ensure training is up to date and appropriate for the workforce now whilst

also meeting likely skill needs in the future.

• Consistent interpretation of NOS was identified as a problem by both training

providers and employers.

43

Department of Health / Department for Education and Skills, 2006; Options for Excellence – Building the Social Care Workforce of the Future



Delivery

• Delivery is mainly provided face to face although there was a demand for

appropriately linked distance and e-learning materials, especially in domiciliary

provision. There is a need for increased flexibility.

• The majority of formal qualifications are offered by training providers which tends to

lead to many employers not seeing it as integral to their business and may militate

against the development of a ‘learning culture’.

• Employers’ experience of accessing training and funding varies from ‘no difficulty’

to many ‘not knowing how’.

• Funding usually is targeted at employers not individual workers which can lead to

training being focused on immediate employer needs rather than overall longer-

term workforce development needs.

• Delivery works particularly well where employers are assessment centres. However

this imposes demands on them to train and release work based assessors.

• Distance learning materials are often identified as inappropriate for learners

(particularly for those in domiciliary care) but the ‘concept’ of distance, including e-

learning, has potential.

Barriers to take up and achievement

• Need for improved quality and coherence of information.

• Patterns of employment such as shift, part-time and night work poses an access

barrier – could be overcome in part by appropriate distance learning.

• Difficult for workers to provide evidence other than for their own job role makes

succession/progression training difficult.

• Lack of qualified assessors.

• Cost implications of assessment methods to employers.

• Funding regimes prevent training providers, particularly colleges, providing work-

based assessors.

5.3 Employer and manager satisfaction

5.3.1 Quality of higher education

The National Employer Skills survey for 2005 asked about the preparedness of higher

education graduates for work within the sector. This question is most likely to be of

relevance to employers needing higher level skills. The majority (78%) of employers in

England said that graduates were either very well or well prepared, whilst 13% felt they

were either poorly or very poorly prepared. Figure 5.01 shows the regional variations in

these responses with the South West and East Midlands showing highest levels of

dissatisfaction. However, levels of dissatisfaction may reflect different expectations and

needs for graduates across the regions (e.g. smaller establishments may not feel they

need graduates).



Figure 5.01: Preparedness for work of people aged under 24 recruited to first job from

University or other higher education institutions by region

Eng E EM Lon NE NW SE S W WM Y&H

1,07

6 75 98 290 34 129 164 125 86 75

Very well

prepared

26% 22% 26% 31% 16% 24% 29% 28% 22% 19%

2,20

0 187 181 460 158 309 249 170 225 262

Well

prepared

52% 54% 48% 49% 73% 58% 43% 37% 58% 67%

522 40 65 114 15 49 84 83 64 7 Poorly

prepared 12% 12% 17% 12% 7% 9% 15% 18% 16% 2%

27 - 3 16 - - 8 - - - Very poorly

prepared 1% -% 1% 2% -% -% 1% -% -% -%

387 43 30 51 9 50 68 75 16 44 Don't know

/ varies too

much to

say 9% 13% 8% 5% 4% 9% 12% 17% 4% 11%

Total 4,21

0 345 377 931 216 536 574 453 392 388

Base: All establishments who have recruited anyone aged under 24 to first job from

University or other higher education institution in last 12 months

Source : Learning & Skills Council, National Employer Skills Survey 2005

5.3.2 Quality of further education provision

Analysis from the NESS 2005 suggests that the majority of establishments are satisfied

with the provision of training delivered via further education colleges in England (82% are

either very or quite satisfied). However, 6% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied and 8%

were dissatisfied to some degree. Dissatisfaction levels were highest in the East Midlands

(11%), in the East of England (10%) and the South East (11%).



Figure 5.02: Satisfaction with quality of teaching or training provided by further education

colleges by region

Eng E EM Lon NE NW SE S W WM Y&H

10,11

3

1,13

2 954

1,20

2 608

1,58

7

1,46

7

1,12

5

1,16

5 874

Very

satisfied

46% 48% 50% 46% 47% 52% 41% 45% 51% 38%

7,842 814 569 879 486

1,07

5

1,34

5 903 828 943

Quite

satisfied

36% 34% 30% 34% 37% 35% 38% 36% 36% 41%

1,267 128 100 212 59 109 171 144 148 196 Neither

satisfied not

dissatisfied 6% 5% 5% 8% 5% 4% 5% 6% 6% 8%

1,314 140 91 170 100 171 333 152 55 102 Not very

satisfied 6% 6% 5% 6% 8% 6% 9% 6% 2% 4%

492 94 122 50 17 49 58 21 29 51 Not at all

satisfied 2% 4% 6% 2% 1% 2% 2% 1% 1% 2%

870 52 90 101 27 67 162 160 69 142 Don't

know/varies

too much to

say 4% 2% 5% 4% 2% 2% 5% 6% 3% 6%

Total 21,89

8

2,36

0

1,92

6

2,61

3

1,29

6

3,05

7

3,53

8

2,50

7

2,29

3

2,30

8

Base: All establishments using further education colleges to provide teaching or training

Source : Learning & Skills Council, National Employer Skills Survey 2005

Establishments were slightly more satisfied with provision from other types of providers,

including consultants and private training providers, than with further education providers

– 92%. Dissatisfaction levels were also lower than for further education. Overall, the

data suggests that though most employers are satisfied with the quality of overall

provision although there are some issues for the quality of provision from further

education.

6. Funding and investment in training and development

6.1 Public sector funding for training and development

Funding for training and development comes from five main sources:

• Local authorities (eg funds from the Department of Health for training and

development of workers within both public, and voluntary, independent and private

sectors).



• Independent sector service providers (eg paying for training of their staff).

• Learning and Skills Council (eg through payment to colleges and work based

learning providers for learners working towards qualifications).

• Higher Education Funding Council (eg through payment to universities and

colleges for learners undertaking higher level learning).

• A plethora of other sources (eg European funds, trades union funding, GSCC).

Figure 6.00 shows the range of general and specific funding resources available for

workforce development:



Figure 6.00: The range of general and specific funding resources available for workforce development

Funding / grant provider Description How much

General grants

National Training

Strategy Grant

(NTSG)*

Specific grant to support social care staff to meet national minimum

standards and achieve qualifications across the statutory, private and

voluntary sectors. There is also a specific element to support the

development of social work traineeship schemes. Local authorities have

discretion on how to use the grant, and from 2004/5 the grant was no

longer ring-fenced, although local authorities have to report through the

annual Delivery Improvement Statement (DIS) how much has been

passed to the independent and voluntary sectors.

Total allocation (England):

2003-04: £20,672,000

2004-05: £26,904,000

2005-06: £67,491,000

2006-07 (allocation): £80,752,000

Human Resources

Development Strategy

Grant (HRDG)*

Main grant aimed at supporting social care employers to improve

management of HR and to develop HR strategies for the social care

workforce, with an element to help social workers with PQ development.

It is also available to be used at the discretion of local authorities and,

from 2004/5, is no longer ring-fenced in any way, although local

authorities have to report through the annual Delivery Improvement

Statement (DIS) how much has been passed to the independent and

voluntary sectors.

Total allocation (England):

2003-04: £7,663,000

2004-05: £18,333,000

2005-06: £43,878,000

2006-07 (allocation): £39,140,000

Total provisional allocation for 2007/08:

£49.750m.



Training Support

Programme (TSP)

Long-standing grant to improve both the quality of social services

provision to families, individuals and local communities, and the

management of those services, by encouraging a planned approach to

training, and by increasing the availability of training for relevant staff.

From 2004/5 TSP ceased to be a ring-fenced grant and, from 2005/6,

was subsumed into the overall LA settlement.

42.5m was provided nationally in 2000/01for

social service training. There was £47.5m within

the TSP for 2001/02. For 2004-/05, the size of

the TSP grant was reduced by £3.2m to £53.3m.

£34.300m (main programme), £6.000m (PQCC

award) and 13.000m for student support sub

programme. The TSP grant ceased at the end of

March 2005 and the remaining funds within this

grant were to be rolled into formula grant for

2005/06.

Training Strategy

Implementation Fund

(TSIF)

The TSIF is channelled via Skills for Care, of which 12% allocated to

children’s services, to support social care organisations improve staff

training and qualifications. The element of this fund that is earmarked for

the children’s workforce will be fully administered from 2007 by CWDC.

In 2002-03, £15m was supplied by the

Department of Health. In 2003/04, social care

employers were to receive £15m, with further

funds over the following two years. Skills for Care

set up a £2 enabling fund from the overall TSI

funding pot to tackle the barriers to achieving

NVQs that are endemic in social care, such as

funding appropriately competent assessors.

Learning Resource

Networks (LRNs)

Funds are available to increase the opportunities for practice learning

and to support inter-agency learning across social care services, and

available though the SSC regional structures

Funding from the Department of Health has been

confirmed for 2003-4 at £1m, with provisional

figures of £5m for 2004-5 and £14m for 2005-6.

There is an expectation that matching funding will

be identified from other sources.



General Social Care

Council (GSCC)

The GSCC administers Practice Learning funding through social work

programmes, and Practice Teaching funding for practice teaching

programmes, as well as funding for post qualifying awards.

In 2004-05, the GSCC provided over 8,500

students with almost £40m. In total, £28.7m was

paid to support social work students in 2003-04.

The budget payment to English students in 2004-

05 was agreed at £39.223m.

NHS Workforce

Development

Confederations

(WDCs)

WDCs manage the Multi-Professional Education and Training Levy

(MPET). There is a budget which includes non-medical education and

training, available for social care training, and for collaborative and

partnership projects.

The Department of Health spends over £3.5 bn

each year on education. The MPET for the last

financial year was £3.92billion, up from £3.81bn

the previous year. The MPET compromises of

three main elements, including Non-medical

education and training (NMET), £1,300m for

nursing and allied health professional education.

Higher Education

Funding Council

(HEFCE)

Partnership and collaboration between HEIs and employers can lead to

accessing HEFC funds to support training needs of staff and students.

Higher education packages, tailored to meet the

needs of the employers, are to be developed as

part of a £12m investment in three new projects

by the HEFCE. The HEFCE is funding the first

stage of the strategy primarily through the

Strategic Development Fund. Employer

engagement has been identified as a priority

area for the fund. Further activity after 2008 will

depend on the outcomes of the Government's

2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.



Learning and Skills

Council (LSC)

The LSC is leading regional working to bridge skills gaps in construction,

and, with JobCentre Plus, to address skill gaps in Health and Social

Care. Funds are currently prioritised for skills development activities –

especially literacy and numeracy, Level 2 qualifications and

apprenticeships – which target people employed in the health and care

sector, in local authorities, in children’s services and schools and

colleges.

LSC claim to have spent £124m through further

education in 2004/05 on qualifications in our

sector. From the LSC data provided (key

qualifications identified) we have calculated that

approximately £258m was spent on funding

relevant qualifications in 2002/03; £313m in

2003/04; and £365,815,375 in 2004/05.

Train to Gain

Train to Gain is the name of a new national skills programme introduced

across England during 2006. It is closely based on the Employer

Training Pilots (ETP) came to an end in March 2006. The national

programme was originally being referred to as the National Employer

Training Programme (NETP) but was re-branded as Train to Gain at the

beginning of 2006. Under the Leitch recommendations, could become

one of the major channels of funding

£1bn has been committed to Train to Gain until

2010. Train to Gain will fund £230m in the first

year (2006-07) and £399m in 2007-2008. The

money for 2006-07 includes £40m to ensure that

learners continuing employer training pilots can

complete their programmes. Another £30m will

be to cover the costs of the brokerage in the first

year, which rises to £36m in 2007-08 as the

volume of learners increases. The remainder of

the funding is to support new learners starting

programmes from April 2006. In addition, there

is up to an extra £28m each year to provide for a

contribution to wage costs towards learners who

work for small employers of less than 50

employees.

Workforce specific grants



Choice Protects** Grant conditions require it to be spent on services that expand or

strengthen local authorities’ fostering services with a view to improving

the life chances of looked after children through increasing placement

stability and choice. Funds can to be spent on the recruitment, retention

and training of foster carers or on development or expansion of fostering

services. They can also be used to respond to any failures to meet

National Minimum Standards for fostering services and for children’s

homes identified in inspection reports.

Funding of £113m was made available from

2003/04 to 2005/06, through the Choice Protects

grant (£56m per annum), to support Local

Authorities in improving placement choice for

their looked-after children. Funding will continue

at approximately 2005/06 levels as part of the

Children's services grant

Adoption Support and

Special

Guardianship**

There is an allocated grant to support the development and provision of

adoption support services in line with the Adoption Support Regulations

2003, which came into force on 31 October 2003. This is to be used to

provide new services, to provide existing services to more people, or to

provide existing services in a way that meets support needs effectively.

The grant is also to be used in connection with the administrative costs

of implementing the new Adoption Support Regulations 2003, including

planning and the training of staff.

£31.985m per annum (see NOTE)

General Sure Start

Grant

This grant is made available to local authorities to allow them to pursue

the goals set out by the Government as part of the National Childcare

Strategy to provide good quality, affordable childcare.

General Sure Start Grant (2006/07): £1,111m

(2007/08) £1,045m. General Sure Start Grant

Capital (2006/07) £421m (2007/08) £392m.



Children’s Fund Launched in November 2000 as part of the government's commitment to

tackle disadvantage among children and young people. The programme

aims to identify at an early stage children and young people at risk of

social exclusion, and make sure they receive the help and support they

need to achieve their potential. Three underlying principles: prevention,

partnership and participation. There are almost 150 Children's Fund

partnerships at local level overseen by DfES and actively involved in

delivering the Children's Fund. The actual services are delivered in a

variety of locations ranging from schools to community centres, sports

centres and other local venues

For 2005-08, the DfES has allocated £411.5m to

the Children's Fund. This will be available to

partnerships flexibly over the period, so the DfES

will be paying between £130m and £149m to

partnerships in each of the three years. This

means that by the end of the spending review

period, Children's Fund partnerships will have

received over £780m in the years 2003-08. This

equates to an average of £156m each year.



Transformation Fund This is a funding stream from DfES, specifically designed to raise the

quality of private, voluntary and independent (PVI) childcare for the

under 5s by supporting the development of the workforce without

compromising the affordability and availability of childcare. It will run from

April 2006-August 2008 It is designed to:

Establish and provide financial support for training routes towards a new

graduate level status for early years professionals

Supporting the objective that all full day care settings should employ a

graduate with early years professional status by 2015 by providing a

recruitment incentive and a quality premium for eligible full daycare

providers

Investing in level 3 – 5 training and development to increase the skills

and qualifications of staff in PVI settings in particular by increasing the

numbers with a level 3 qualification

Training more staff in PVI settings to work with disabled children and

those with SEN

Much of the funding is directed through Local authorities but CWDC has

a specific allocation which is being used to fund learning providers to

deliver training for early Years professional Status, through four

approved training routes.

The government has allocated £250m to the

transformation fund to be spent between April

2006 and August 2008 on early years provisions.

£51.8 million of the Transformation fund in 2006-

08 will go to the CWDC to cover the costs of

course development and financial support for

EYP students. Funding in 2008-09 and beyond

will depend on the outcome of the 2007

Comprehensive Spending Review. £3.3m will be

used to evaluate the use of the funds and its

impact on outcomes and to test alternative

approaches.



Trades Unions

Unionlearn Key purpose of Unionlearn is to help unions open up a wide range of

learning opportunities for their members and the Union Learning Fund

will assist unions both promote learning to match learners' starting points

and current needs and aspirations, but linked to personal progression.

ULF projects help to mainstream and sustain learning activity in the long

term.

See: www.unionlearningfund.org.uk/about/index.cfm

The ULF started in 1998 with a budget of £2m. In

the 2000 spending review, ULF was allocated

funds to continue the work until 2004, with £7m

allocated for 2001/02, including £1m for basic

skills work. In 2004/05, £14m was made

available to trade unions to participate in the

lifelong learning revolution. The ULF is managed

by the LSC but will come under the auspices of

Unionlearn in April 2007. The ULF was allocated

£39.6m from 2003-06 to continue its work.

Return to Learn A number of Trade Unions work in partnership with employers on

developing learning programmes. Unison’s Return to Learn and related

programmes can provide a valuable resource in supporting workforce

development around key skills and pre-NVQ training.



Wider funding streams

Structural and

Cohesion Funds

[Previously ESF,

ERDF and EAGGF]

NB this will need to

be updated as detail

emerges!

The Structural and Cohesion Funds are the European Union’s main ways of

supporting social and economic restructuring. A new programme will run 2007-

2013: Convergence funding for our poorest regions (€2.6b); Competitiveness and

Employment funding for other regions (€6.2b); Cooperation funding for cross-

border and trans-national cooperation (€0.6b). The three UK priorities are:

Enterprise and Innovation (promoting research, knowledge transfer and

commercialisation, encouraging entrepreneurship and supporting a thriving SME

sector)

Skills and Employment (building a skilled and adaptable workforce, tackling

disadvantage in the workplace and supporting employment opportunities for all)

Environmental and Community Sustainability (encouraging innovation to support

sustainability, ensuring sustainable development, production and consumption

and promoting social and economic cohesion in local economies, including in

urban and rural areas)

All are likely to be applicable to the care sector

See: www.dti.gov.uk/regional/european-structural-funds/index.html

In the past, Equal (part of the ESF funds aimed at supporting equality of

opportunity) has supported several developments in the care sector (e.g. north

west project to encourage women from minority ethnic groups to enter child care

and one in the south east focusing on integrated service provision. Equal is

coming to an end, but results of projects are worth looking at

In the South East region, Skills for Care

ran a very successful £21m European

Social Fund brokerage project with the

LSC. €2.75 billion of the European Social

Fund money has been invested in jobs

and skills in England over the last 7 years.

The programmes ran from 200-2006. ESF

provided about £4.5bn in Great Britain

(£3.5bn in England in this period.

The UK was allocated over £10 billion in

structural funds receipts for 2000-06

budgetary cycle.

The UK will receive approximately

€9.4billion euros in structural funds from

2007-2013.



Leonardo Leonardo da Vinci is a European Community programme which aims to support

national training through funding a range of transnational partnership projects

aimed at improving quality, fostering innovation and promoting the European

dimension in vocational training

There are several strands, of particular applicability are Pilot Projects which are

about development and testing of innovative vocational training and work-based

learning, use of ICT, open learning and IAG; and Mobility Projects which foster

transnational exchange of staff and placement of learners

See http://www.leonardo.org.uk/

Total EU funding 2006-07 (EU

Programme in Support of Vocational

Training) €1.150m

Notes:

* The HRDG and NTS grants were set up to develop social care staff working in both adults’ services and children’s services. The proportion of the

grants to be spent in adults and children’s services should be in line with the proportion of the workforce employed in providing services in each.

Nationally, this would approximate to 50% in each for social workers and for other social care workers, 87% in adults’ services and 13% in children’s

services.

** In Line with DfES' commitment to streamline the number of separate grants paid to Local Authorities, a new children's services grant has been

created from 2007-08, bringing together the following funding streams: Adoption support and special guardianship grant (£31.985m per annum);

Vulnerable Children's grant (£56m per annum); Choice protects grant (£56m per annum); and New funding to assist authorities to implement Every

Child Matters (£22.5m in 2006-07 and £63m in 2007-08).


6.1.1 National Training Strategy Grant

The National Training Strategy (NTS) grant was announced as a local authority social

services ring-fenced grant to take effect from 2003-04. The aims of the grant were to

support the training of social care staff across the statutory, private and voluntary sectors,

with the expectation that the majority of the fund would be spent on supporting the

achievement of NVQs in social care in order to meet the National Minimum Standards

being used for registration and inspection by the National Care Standards Commission.

Ring-fencing was removed from 2004-05. For 2005-07, the Department of Health

specified that "the NTS grant may be used towards expenditure incurred or to be incurred

by local authorities" and contained no further conditions. The intention for 2007-08 is that

NTS will be used to “assist local councils to ensure that appropriate resources are made

available to develop their own staff and those in private and voluntary organisations

providing social care services on their behalf in order to meet the staff training and

qualifications standards within the relevant National Minimum Standards”. 44

The NTS grant amounts to some £100.8m in 2006-07, an increase from the previous

year. Table 6.01 shows details of the amount of the NTS grant to Councils with Social

Services Responsibilities (CSSR).

Figure 6.01: National Training Strategy grant (£000s)

Allocation 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

National Minimum Standards £14,306 £19,979

Trainee Social work schemes £4,799 £9,000

Learning Resource Network £2,000

Total allocation £19,105 £30,979 £87,857 £100,859

Total spend: council + independent sector £20,672 £26,904 £67,491

Spend [projected spend] by region:

East Midlands £ 1,263 £ 1,599 £ 4,592 £ 5,460

Eastern £ 1,494 £ 2,094 £ 6,785 £ 8,016

London £ 5,927 £ 6,521 £ 12,500 £ 14,890

North East £ 1,077 £ 1,173 £ 3,611 £ 4,383

North West £ 2,573 £ 4,387 £ 9,734 £ 11,607

South East £ 2,026 £ 3,259 £ 8,809 £ 9,767

South West £ 1,911 £ 2,437 £ 5,849 £ 7,304

West Midlands £ 2,407 £ 3,025 £ 8,241 £ 7,625

Yorkshire & Humber £ 1,995 £ 2,409 £ 7,370 £ 8,307

Sources: DIS data in PADI Data Analysis Tool for Spring 2006 and Department of Health

annual grant determination bulletins – NB Adult + Children’s services; estimated spend

on adult’s services 65-85% of total spend in 2006-07

44 Local Authority Social Services Letter LASSL (DH)(2007)1


There are both regional and year-on-year variations in the proportion of the HRDS grant

spent on the independent sector and on council staff as shown in Figure 6.02 below.

Figure 6.02: National Training Strategy grant – percentages spent on independent sector

by region

2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

England 41% 44% 36% 40%

East Midlands 44% 52% 32% 33%

Eastern 41% 59% 52% 55%

London 28% 41% 31% 31%

North East 41% 41% 34% 36%

North West 51% 39% 39% 47%

South East 51% 54% 43% 42%

South West 47% 39% 27% 30%

West Midlands 48% 46% 35% 47%

Yorkshire & Humber 44% 38% 34% 39%



on adult’s services 70-90% of total spend in 2006-07

6.1.2 Human Resources Development Strategy Grant

Established in 2003-04, the purpose of the HRDS Grant is to contribute to local authority

expenditure in establishing enhanced level of human resource management practices

across the whole of the social care workforce including workforce planning and the

National Minimum Dataset for Social Care (NMDS-SC). This includes staff working in

both the private and voluntary sectors. Initially ring-fenced, this was removed in 2004-05.

Like the NTS, for 2005-07, the Department of Health specified that "the HRDS grant may

be used towards expenditure incurred or to be incurred by local authorities" and

contained no further conditions.

As for the NTS grant, the intention for 2007-08 is that HRDS grant will “assist local

councils to ensure that appropriate resources are made available to develop their own

staff and those in private and voluntary organisations providing social care services on

their behalf in order to meet the staff training and qualifications standards within the

relevant National Minimum Standards.” 45 The Department of Health also recommends for

the first time that the proportion of the grants to be spent in adult’s and children’s services

should be in line with the proportion of the social care workforce employed in providing

services in each. Nationally this approximates to 50% in each for social workers; and for

other social care workers 13% in children's services and 87% in adults' services.

45

Local Authority Social Services Letter LASSL (DH) 2007


The HRDS grant amounts to some £46.8m in 2006-07, a decrease from the previous

year. Figure 6.03 shows details of the amount of the HRDS grant to Councils with Social

Services Responsibilities (CSSR).

Figure 6.03: Human Resources Development Strategy grant (£000s)

Allocation 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

Human resources development £6,419 £19,900

Post-qualifying development £340 £2,000

Changing workforce programme £2,000

Total allocation £6,759 £23,900 £59,750 £46,750

Total spend: council + independent sector £7,663 £18,333 £43,878 [£38,078]

Spend [projected spend] by region:

East Midlands £ 341 £ 1,109 £ 3,170 £ 3,294

Eastern £ 565 £ 1,562 £ 3,386 £ 3,649

London £ 2,023 £ 4,144 £ 8,776 £ 7,835

North East £ 403 £ 983 £ 2,440 £ 2,028

North West £ 1,061 £ 2,728 £ 6,839 £ 6,151

South East £ 827 £ 1,889 £ 4,380 £ 3,937

South West £ 767 £ 1,809 £ 3,854 £ 3,335

West Midlands £ 864 £ 2,286 £ 6,009 £ 3,744

Yorkshire & Humber £ 813 £ 1,823 £ 5,024 £ 4,105



on children’s services 10-30% of total spend in 2006-07

There are both regional, and year-on-year variations in the proportion of the HRDS grant

spent on the independent sector and on council staff as shown in Figure 6.04.

Figure 6.04: Human Resources Development Strategy grant – percentages spent on

independent sector by region

2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

England 41% 37% 31% 35%

East Midlands 44% 44% 28% 28%

Eastern 31% 55% 46% 45%

London 37% 53% 27% 31%

North East 44% 36% 30% 32%

North West 47% 42% 37% 41%

South East 45% 43% 31% 36%

South West 41% 34% 25% 30%

West Midlands 49% 37% 28% 40%

Yorkshire & Humber 39% 28% 29% 33%




on children’s services 10-30% of total spend in 2006-07

6.1.3 Training Strategy Implementation Fund

Training Strategy Implementation (TSI) funding is provided on an annual basis by the

Department of Health to Skills for Care to use to support employers with workforce

development. In general the funds are based on satisfying 'Modernising the Social Care

Workforce' and National Minimum Standards and are intended to be used where access

to other support funding is not available or too complex to achieve, such as for small

organisations. From 2007 the element of this fund that is earmarked for the children’s

workforce will be fully administered by CWDC.

TSI funds help social care providers to enable their workforce to achieve 'units of

competence' from NVQs or the induction of new staff. Used in this way TSI is designed

to contribute to employers' task of building the competence of their staff to full NVQ and

meeting the workforce development and training and education requirements of the

National Minimum Standards. TSI funds provide unit-based contributions to the cost of

learning and managed through contracts with employer-led partnerships.

The TSI Fund amounts to some £11.5m available for workforce development in 2005-06.

The fund has grown steadily from 2002-03 as shown in Figure 6.05. TSI funds a wide

range of Level 2, 3 and 4, as Figure 6.06 shows.


Figure 6.05: Total £000s paid nationally and by region in England under TSI Fund 2002-

03 to 2005-06

2002-2003

£

2003-2004

£

2004-2005

£

2005-2006

£

% share of

regional

funding

Total England 10,677 11,189 10,406 11,547

Total national 1,813 3,015 2,673 3,069

Total regional 8,864 8,174 7,733 8,478 100

North East 496 428 393 465 5

North West 1,366 1,128 1,124 1,146 14

Yorks &

Humber 877 786 800 816 10

East Midlands 745 654 645 716 8

West Midlands 1,087 861 769 781 9

Eastern 710 981 750 898 11

London 1,348 1,351 1,292 1,361 16

South East 1,370 1,266 1,227 1,428 17

South West 865 719 733 867 10

Base: Total value of TSI funding

Source: Training Strategy Implementation: Funding Unit Analysis46

Figure 6.06: Type of TSI units funded in England by region 2005-06

% Total

Eng

Total

nat

Total

reg E EM Lon NE NW SE SW WM Y&H

Level 2 39 36 40 31 46 46 34 42 38 48 38 36

Level 3 21 16 23 18 20 21 19 24 23 27 27 22

Level 4 5 4 6 5 7 4 4 6 7 9 10 4

Other NVQ 7 5 8 7 9 6 7 7 9 11 9 7

Total NVQ 73 61 77 62 81 78 63 80 78 95 83 69

Inductions 21 31 17 29 14 16 27 15 17 4 13 24

Base: All units funded

Source: Training Strategy Implementation: Funding Unit Analysis

46

Hawthorne Research and Business Development Ltd, 2007; Training Strategy Implementation: Funding Unit Analysis


6.2 The costs of establishing a competent workforce

6.2.1 Assumptions and definitions

The term ‘competent workforce’ means the range of skills, knowledge and understanding

needed by the workforce in order to be able to provide a safe and effective service as

required by the people who are using those service and/or their carers.

Efficient and effective workforce development is based on the employer understanding

the purpose of the service (ideally defined by the person(s) who require the service); a

service design that provides that service, and a managed resource plan to provide it. The

resource plan will include information on the quantity and competence of the staff

required and will allow the employer to define the nature of competence required of each

member of that care team.

National Occupational Standards provide a tool to define competence and can be used to

match a job-role to a particular qualification. New staff can be judged against the

requirements for their role, and the qualification assessment system used to confirm

existing competence and to judge areas of developing competence. Training or learning

support can then be targeted.

The information in this section applies four levels of qualification to job roles, using the

National Vocational Qualification Levels 2, 3, and 4 and the social work degree. All direct

care and management tasks in the sector fit roughly into these categories; however, the

individuals undertaking those roles may not currently have the qualification or may

require professional development in specific areas.

A small number of employers have a pre-employment training programme that they use

as part of a staff selection system or as a means to use government-funded entry to work

/ back to work programmes to support the training of their staff. Point of employment is

not considered for this purpose, only the costs.

6.2.2 Assessing costs

The aim of this paper is to identify true costs – not what is paid for or charged. The sector

is currently heavily reliant on ‘supplementary’ funding from external agencies such as the

Learning and Skills Councils for staff training. As a result, consideration of the costs of

establishing a competent workforce tends to focuses on funding available rather than on

actual cost. To work at its most efficient, such a system is reliant on an employer’s human

resource and operational management capacity. Therefore the costs of establishing and

maintaining a competent workforce for management functions also have to be

considered.

Learning offered to staff can be adapted to the needs of the individual and the workplace

and can include open learning, e-learning, in-house systems or spells away from work at


a training or educational establishment. The provision of supervision and appraisal to

staff can be estimated at 10% of workforce costs and overall human resource costs at

5%.

The sector generally does not get sufficient funding for the establishment of a competent

workforce through the fees received for the services commissioned from them. There is

therefore considerable cost to the sector in the acquisition and management of

supplementary funding to support staff training. The sources of supplementary funding

are many and various (see Section 6.1 above) but often require a high level of knowledge

and brokerage to access.

Employees are beneficiaries of training and qualifications. It is suggested in Modernising

the Social Care Workforce 47 that employees should expect to contribute in kind about

15%. The same document recommended that employers should aim to spend 3% of

their workforce budget on training-related activity.

Cost of recruitment is quoted as being between £5,000 and £7,000, the variation being

the cost of national / regional media advertising. The executive summary of the Annual

Social Services workforce survey of local authorities48 stated that £19.7 million had been

spent on advertising costs between 1 April and 30 September 2004 equating to about

0.8% of payroll costs.

Modern and effective employment practice focuses on equality, access and diversity and

this entails costs - for example, childminding costs to release part-time staff for training,

support costs for people with disabilities - readers for people with visual impairment,

signers for deaf employees and so on. Good practice will also include provision of pro-

active occupational health to respond to the management of stress - for example, access

to counseling and external supervision. Employment strategies aimed at retaining staff

will include flexible working - for example, offices being open longer, more reception staff

hours and home working with mobile technology, etc.

Staff complements often do not provide cover for staff on training courses, so there is

additional staff costs associated with releasing staff for training. For example, a member

of staff undertaking an entire NVQ at Level 2 may need to attend one day release per unit

and attend a one-day NVQ induction, resulting in seven days away from their role over

the course of the training. There may be further costs to allow sufficient preparation time

between an assessor and NVQ candidate as well as contact with internal verifier, on

average this might equate to a further three days over the life of the qualification.

The total of 10 days cover required at current minimum rates of £4.25 an hour for 18-21

year olds and at £5.05 an hour for those aged 22+ and based on a 7.5 hour day would

add £308 - £354 (+ associated on-costs such as National Insurance).

47

Topss England, 2000; Modernising the Social Care Workforce 48

Research and Intelligence Unit of the Employers Organisation, 2004; 16th Social Services Workforce Survey


6.2.2.1 English as an additional language (EAL)

A basic level of English is required to enable staff to embark on the NVQ qualification,

with higher levels of language capacity needed for higher levels of vocational

competence. Anecdotal reports suggest that 40 per cent of recruits to social care, for

level 2 and 3 jobs in particular, need assistance with English language. The estimated

costs of providing this help would be: £2,000 for NVQ 2, £2,500 for NVQ3 and £3,000 for

NVQ 4.

6.2.2.2 Essential skills

This refers to work-related ability to read and comprehend, to write records and to

undertake numerical work on dosage, time sheets, etc. The levels of competence in

essential skills are linked to the related vocational skill. Anecdotal reports suggest that 50

per cent of recruits require assistance with essential skills. The estimated costs of

providing this help would be: £1,000 for NVQ2, £2,000 for NVQ3 and £3,000 for NVQ4.

6.2.2.3 Common induction standards

Managers are expected to ensure that staff new into post are able to show understanding

appropriate for their role. Learning costs to meet these standards, incorporated into

supervision and appraisal, are estimated to be £200.

6.2.2.4 Mandatory training

Mandatory training is often required by the Health and Safety Executive for matters

including food handling, moving and handling, and use of specialist equipment such as

hoists.

6.2.3 National Vocational Qualifications

Estimates below of costs for NVQ training are based on £100 for each unit of learning;

certification of learning, when well managed, adds 50% to cost but should reduce

expenditure on the quality assurance of commissions training and £75 for NVQ

assessment for each unit.

Figure 6.07: Costs of NVQ training by training unit and level of competence

Costs of a training unit (£)

Level Learning

Assessment/

registration Total

NVQ2 600 600 1,200

NVQ3 800 770 1,570

NVQ4 800 770 1,570

6.2.4 Social work degree

Definitive figures on the costs of the social work degree are not available, but the figure

appears to be between about £54,000 and £60,000. Employers do not normally fund the

qualification of social workers but do contribute through practice learning.


6.2.5 Post-qualification costs

JM Consulting, who are working on a revised funding system for the Department of

Health, are currently (April 2007) estimating a cost of £3,500 per candidate per year, full-

time equivalent, for the new post-qualification framework.

6.2.6 Continuing professional development costs

Costs of continuing professional development vary according to individual and workplace

requirements. For example, the General Social Care Council have set 15 days per year

as the training expected of registered social workers; the recommendation for others is

not yet defined.

Cost would vary according to level of responsibility but 15 days at an average 8-hour day

and £15 per hour including on-costs is £1575 for the 15 days plus costs of any staff

cover.

6.2.7 Conclusions

The costs of training a member of staff with a National Vocational Qualification can be

calculated against a checklist:

• English as an additional language.

• Essential skills.

• Induction.

• Health and Safety training depending on responsibilities.

• National Vocational Qualification.

• Cost of release of staff for training.

• Supervision, human resource management, locating funding and organising

programmes adds 35%.

• Cost of recruitment.

Example for NVQ 2

Figure 6.07

A new member of staff to NVQ level 2 £2,400

English speaker but requires essential skills learning £3,700

Same situation but requiring EAL as well as essential skills £6,400

So, as an estimate based on the information detailed above, if:

• 100 staff were required and using the reports of need for essential skills and

English the cost would be about £412,000 or an average of £4,000 per person:

• 50 will cost £118,300 as they can go straight into NVQ learning and assessment,

• 40 will cost £256,600 as they need English and essential skills

• 10 will cost £37,160 as they need essential skills.


All the above figures are estimates. However, they illustrate the substantial levels of

investment needed to support workforce development within the sector.

6.3 The sector’s views about funding

As part of the development of the Stage 1 and 2 reports, CWDC surveyed those working

in, and involved with the sector. The full report summary can be seen at Appendix 1.

6.3.1 Accessing funding

(Analysis by respondents’ field of expertise49)

Respondents’ opinions differed when they were asked to comment on the statement ‘I am

able to access sufficient funding to support necessary training and development’. The

lowest level of agreement came from Education Welfare Officers (18 per cent). The

highest came from childminders at 69 per cent, with the early years field at 62 per cent.

Other respondents were in agreement between 39 and 55 per cent of the time. (Figure

6.08)

Figure 6.08

Q23 I am able to access sufficient funding to support necessary training and

development

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Early Years Social Care Education

and

Advisory

Support

Services

Local

Authority

Training

Provision

Childminding Other - in

CWDC

footprint

Other - not

in CWDC

footprint

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

49

Percentages given are of the total who agreed or disagreed (respondents who answered ‘don’t know’ or ‘not applicable’ are not included)


Those who were self-employed showed the most likely to have found sufficient funding

for the training they need, with around 67% agreeing or strongly agreeing with the

statement ‘I am able to access sufficient funding to support necessary training and

development.’ Employers and employees were much less satisfied with the funding

situation, with less than 50% supporting the statement in both. Those in the private

sector, however, were much more likely to find funding than in the public or VCF sectors

– around 63% satisfaction in the private sector compared to around 45% in the public and

VCF sectors.

Analysis by geographical region50

There was more regional variation on the funding of training than in any other section of

the survey. 2 9 per cent of respondents in the north east agreed that they were able to

access sufficient funding to support necessary training and development. London was

similar, at 34 per cent. The south east and west midlands had the highest level of

agreement, at 60 and 66 per cent respectively (Figure 6.09).

Figure 6.09

Q23 I am able to access sufficient funding to support necessary training and

development

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

East East

Midlands

London North

East

North

West

South

East

South

West

West

Midlands

Yorks &

Humber

National

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

6.3.2 Employer investment in funding

Analysis by respondents’ field of expertise51

All groups of respondents agreed that employers should invest in the training and

development of employees and themselves (between 86 and 100 per cent agreement)

(Figure 6.10).

50

Percentages given are of the total who agreed or disagreed (respondents who answered ‘don’t know’ or ‘not applicable’ are not included) 51



Figure 6.10

Q24 Employers should invest in the training and development of employees and

themselves

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


and

Advisory

Support

Services

Local

Authority

Training

Provision


CWDC

footprint

Other - not

in CWDC

footprint

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

The majority also agreed that individuals and the self-employed should be encouraged to

invest in their own training and development (between 62 and 83 per cent agreement).

The greatest agreement came from those working in the public sector, while private

sector employers were more likely to disagree with the statement ‘Employers should

invest in the training and development of employees and themselves.’ Of those working

in the public sector who did not support the statement, nearly all strongly disagreed,

suggesting a sharp division in the expectation of the role of the employer in the public

sector.

Figure 6.11

Q24 Employers should invest in the training and development of employees

and themselves

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Employers Employees Self Employed

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree



Respondents consistently agreed that employers should invest in the training and

development of employees and themselves (ranging from 88 per cent in the south east to

100 per cent in the north east).

Figure 6.12

Q24 Employers should invest in the training and development of employees and

themselves

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

East East

Midlands

London North

East

North

West

South

East

South

West

West

Midlands

Yorks &

Humber

National

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

6.3.3 Employee investment in funding

There was widespread agreement with the statement ‘Individuals and the self-employed

should be encouraged to invest in their own training and development’, most vehemently

from Local Authority employers and least strongly from childminders (between 83 and 62

per cent agreement). The self-employed were least likely to agree with this statement:

around 7% strongly disagreed and around 29% disagreeing. In contrast employers were

most supportive, around 82% agreeing or strongly agreeing.

52



Figure 6.13

Q25 Individuals and the self-employed should be encouraged to invest in their own

training and development

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


and

Advisory

Support

Services

Local

Authority

Training

Provision


CWDC

footprint

Other - not

in CWDC

footprint

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

The regional breakdown of responses supports this broad agreement with the suggestion

that individuals and the self-employed should invest in their own training and

development (ranging from 66 per cent in the west midlands to 94 per cent in the east

midlands).

Figure 6.14

Q25 Individuals and the self-employed should be encouraged to invest in their own


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

East East

Midlands

London North

East

North

West

South

East

South

West

West

Midlands

Yorks &

Humber

National

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree


7. Skills supply and demand

7.1 Overview and key messages

The key question in respect of the demand and supply of skills is:

“Does skills supply currently meet the needs of the industry and will it do so in

future?”

Although data on demand is unreliable; forecasting models cannot predict the future with

any great certainty and data on supply is variable and hard to interpret, what is clear is

that the sector is undergoing significant change and is likely to continue doing so for at

least the next five years.

A recent DfES report53 notes: “In early years services the quality of care children receive

is fundamental to their development. Research shows that poor quality care can have

detrimental impact and is not cost effective, whilst high quality integrated care can

increase cognitive development in the short run, and in the long run tends to increase

income and reduce use of the welfare system.”

The report points to evidence that supports the contention that the quality of childcare (in

terms of achieving better outcomes) is correlated with the level of qualifications held by

carers. The same study finds that, overall, staff are qualified adequately, although in

some areas workers are poorly qualified and there are problems with the qualification of

new entrants necessary to expand childcare:

• Over all in childcare settings, management staff have become more highly

qualified, with those holding level 3+ qualifications increasing in number between

2001 and 2003. Around 80% of playgroup and full day care managers are qualified

to this level, but childminders are the least well qualified, with only 16% holding

qualifications to this level.

• The proportion of supervisory staff holding Level 3 or above qualifications has

decreased. This is due to the expansion of full day care which has resulted in a

doubling in the number of more junior, level 2 qualified staff, compared with a

stable number of more qualified staff.

The delivery of children and young people’s services continues to modernise to meet

people’s needs and aspirations and government policy. Modernisation and change

demand new skill-sets amongst all parts of the workforce, including managers.

Workforce development is crucial, as is ensuring an appropriate balance between the

supply and demand and the quality of training and development. Although progress is

being hampered by financial pressures, continuing recruitment and retention problems,

and organisational turbulence, the SSA provides a real opportunity to address these

issues.

53 Department for Education and Skills, 2005;The Children’s workforce in England: A Review of the evidence; Version 1.0


7.2 Skills supply and demand: drivers for change

Many factors and policy changes affect the sector’s skills needs including expectations of

society (including those of young people and families); government policy; the way

services are delivered; and the way the workforce is managed. Drivers of change across

the children and young people’s workforce are explored in detail in our Stage 1 report, the

following provides a brief summary.

The workforce is key to supporting parents and communities in helping children and

young people meet the challenges of the 21st century. Additional training, more relevant

qualifications and greater levels of skills will be important ingredients in developing further

the competences that the workforce will require in the coming years: “The quality and

effectiveness of services depends on those who deliver them. Not just the ability of those

at the very front line of delivery, but also those in charge of managing the strategies and

priorities for local delivery.”54

Service changes, now and in the future, will require different skills and attributes of both

the workforce and managers, in particular:

• increased flexibility and adaptability to new ways of working.

• increased responsiveness to people who use services.

• information and communication technologies.

• communication, interpersonal and relationship skills.

• working across ‘traditional’ boundaries.

• ‘lone’ working and working in ‘virtual teams’.

• entrepreneurial skills (eg business planning and sustainability; managing budgets).

The Leitch Report55 Prosperity for all in the global economy – world class skills focuses

on the ‘delivery of a raised ambition’, a responsibility to be shared between employers,

individual and the government. The report recommends, amongst other things, the need

to:

• Increase adult skills across all levels.

• Rationalise the way public funding for adult vocational skills is routed.

• Move away from a supply-driven model, based on government planning, towards a

demand driven model of skills development.

• Strengthen the ‘employer voice’ by rationalising existing bodies, strengthening the

collective voice and better articulating employer views on skills.

• Increase employer engagement and investment in skills; reforming and

empowering Sector Skills Councils and only allowing public funding for vocational

qualifications where the content has been approved by SSCs.

54 Department for Education and Skills and HM Treasury, 2007; Policy review of children and young people - a discussion paper 55 HM Treasury, 2006; Prosperity for all in the global economy – world class skills (Leitch report)


• Launch a new 'Pledge' for employers to voluntarily commit to train all eligible

employees up to Level 2 in the workplace.

• Increase employer investment in Level 3 and 4 qualifications in the workplace.

• Improve engagement between employers and universities; increasing co-funded

workplace degrees and increasing focus on skills at Level 5 and above.

• Increase people's aspirations and awareness of the value of skills.

The LSC consultation document Delivering World-class Skills in a Demand-led System56

builds in particular on the Further Education White Paper57 Raising Skills, Improving Life

Chances, exploring the implications for post-14 funding in a demand led system, in

particular the further education system.

Key messages include:

• FE needs to operate in a more open and competitive market which, coupled with a

funding system that reflects customer choice, will free the system to respond

flexibly to customer demand.

• Expanding choice and improving quality.

• More learners and more employers to engage with skills training, in particular

increased participation in Skills for Life, Level 2, Specialised Diplomas and a

guarantee of an apprenticeship place.

The successful implementation of the vision and the outcomes set out in Every Child

Matters58 requires agencies and organisations working together to develop more

integrated and responsive services for children, young people and families. The vision

set by Government will mean a continued focus on redesigning services and improving

the training and development of the workforce, driven both by the Every Child Matters

ambitions and by wider reforms across public services be accountable for service

standards and outcomes for children; develop improved management and leadership

skills.

7.3 Skill shortages, gaps and needs

Many of the strategy documents and research noted throughout this Report and our

Stage 1 Report highlight both skills gaps and shortages across many part of the CWDC

footprint. In particular, our Stage 1 Report highlights particular issues for each

occupational group; for example particular skill shortages (ie a lack of suitably skilled

people in the labour market) exist for children and family social workers, children's

residential care staff, foster carers, nannies, nursery workers, and sessional care

56 Learning and Skills Council, 2007; Delivering World-class Skills in a Demand-led System 57 DfES, 2006; Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances (White Paper) 58 Department for Education and Skills, 2004 & 2005; Every Child Matters: Change for Children (2004 & 2005 updates)


workers. Vacancy rates in social care are higher than for all other employment sectors in

England59.

Compounding current shortages and gaps:

• Turnover rates are high, being particularly so amongst care staff and in the south

east of England.

• Jobs are becoming increasingly complex and integrated due to the changing nature

of delivery and the blurring of ‘traditional’ boundaries between sectors.

• Agency staff are often brought in to fill vacancies and there are often difficulties in

attracting, and retaining, the kind of workers which reflect the diversity of the

community served.

• Many services are increasingly dependent on international recruitment to fill

vacancies, which often creates a need for training in English as an additional

language, together with training in English operational and cultural backgrounds.

Options for Excellence60 reports that there is a need to both increase the supply of

workers and to increase the level of appropriate skills of many existing workers: there are

both skill shortages and skills gaps (ie skills deficiencies).

The National Employers Skills Survey (NESS)61 suggests that social care employers,

both in children’s and adult services) report significant skills gaps in their existing

workforce. Reported skills gaps were more common in social care than in the economy

as a whole (about 35% compared to about 25% across all sectors).

The NESS also indicated that social care employers are more likely than average to

report that skills gaps cause difficulties in meeting quality standards and cause difficulties

in introducing new working practices. However, they are less likely to report that skills

gaps cause difficulties in meeting service objectives or delays in developing new

services. This could suggest that employers see skill gaps more as a response to

regulatory requirements than client or business development needs.

Skill needs vary considerably across different parts of the workforce; these will be

analysed in detail in our Stage 3 work and in the development of our Sector Skills

Agreements. Consultation undertaken during the development of this report has

identified the following key generic skills required by the majority of the workforce:

• language, literacy and numeracy skills.

• communication, interpersonal and relationship skills.

• information and communication technology skills, including both assistive

technologies, applications of ICT, information management and e-learning.

59 Commission for Social Care Inspection, 2005; The state of social care in England 2004-05 60

Department of Health / Department for Education and Skills, 2006; Options for Excellence – Building the Social Care Workforce of the Future 61

LSC, 2006; National Employer Skills Survey 2005


In addition, the workforce needs skills to:

• ensure the safety of children and young people.

• prepare staff for work with children, young people and families.

• raise aspirations and encourage children and young people to fulfil their potential.

• help individuals to work in multidisciplinary teams which make connections

between different agencies.

• help them to work in new and developing ways of delivering services, including

working in partnerships, multidisciplinary and cross-agency teams; and adopting

flexible approaches which enable a rapid response to new models of delivering

services and new opportunities.

• help them to work with children and young people with disabilities62.

Those in management roles need additional generic skills including:

• leadership and management.

• commissioning and negotiation.

Many of these skills are embedded in the Common Core of Skills and Knowledge for the

Children’s Workforce and in the future these will form part of qualifications for working

with children young people and families; and will be the focus of work towards out Sector

Learning Strategy.

These messages are supported by the CWDC workforce survey undertaken to inform the

SSA process.

7.3.1 Findings from the CWDC workforce survey

In November 2006 the CWDC developed and hosted an on-line survey of employers’

views on workforce skills and training. The survey ran from 19 December 2006 to 12

February 2007 and attracted 1062 responses, of which 38 per cent were on behalf of

employers or organisations.

7.3.1.1 Recruitment


Respondents from early years and social care fields, Connexions Personal Advisers and

Education Welfare Officers indicated that it was easier to recruit people with basic skills

62

This follows particularly from the 2005 revision to the Disability Discrimination Act and the resulting Disability Equality Duty 63



than it was to recruit staff with the appropriate qualifications64. Over half of each of these

respondents agreed that it was necessary to recruit people who are not suitably qualified

and train them further.

86 per cent of Educational Psychologists agreed that it was easy to recruit people with

appropriate basic skills and 17 per cent agreed that it was easy to recruit staff with

appropriate qualifications. 30 per cent agreed that it was often necessary to recruit staff

who are not suitably qualified and provide them with further training.

Learning Mentors indicated that they felt it was as easy to recruit people with appropriate

qualifications as basic skills (80 and 88 per cent respectively). 61 per cent agreed that it

was often necessary to recruit staff who are not suitably qualified and provide them with

further training.

Figure 7.00

Q5 It has been easy to recruit staff with appropriate qualifications

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


and

Advisory

Support

Services

Local

Authority

Training

Provision


CWDC

footprint

Other - not

in CWDC

footprint

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

Source: CWDC Workforce Skills and Training Survey (and for subsequent graphs)

The responses showed that it was hardest for the private sector to recruit individuals with

appropriate qualifications, 72% identifying that they strongly disagreed or disagreed with

the statement ‘it has been easy to recruit staff with appropriate qualifications’. The

private sector and voluntary, faith and community sector share a similar proportion of

employers saying they strongly agree with this statement, around 3%. However, overall

across the sectors, 69% strongly disagreed or disagreed with the statement, indicating

that there is either a shortage of skills, or problems within the current procedures for

recruiting staff.

Regionally, the greatest problems of recruitment have been found in the West Midlands

and London, while the North West reports the most positive experience.

64

65-95 per cent of respondents in each of these groups agreed that it was easy to recruit staff with basic skills. 28-41 per cent agreed that it was easy to recruit staff with appropriate qualifications


7.3.1.2 Recruitment and Basic Skills

While the problems of recruiting appropriately trained staff are clear from the previous

section, this contrasts sharply with the number of staff with basic skills. In all sectors, well

over half of respondents strongly agreed or agreed with the statement ‘it has been easy

to recruit staff with appropriate basic skills’. Those finding the most problems are training

providers, local authorities and early years.

Figure 7.01

Q6 It has been easy to recruit staff with appropriate basic skills

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


and

Advisory

Support

Services

Local

Authority

Training

Provision


CWDC

footprint

Other - not in

CWDC

footprint

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

The regional breakdown of responses reveals that those in the North East and East have

found the least problems recruiting those with basic skills, while London and Yorkshire

and the Humber have found the most problems.

7.3.1.3 Recruitment and further training

The consequence of the high numbers of inappropriately trained people means that the

responses to Question 7 are not surprising, namely that it is very common for staff to be

recruited who are not suitably qualified and need to be provided with further training. This

is least common in Social Care, and most common in childminding and training provision.


Figure 7.02

Q7 It has often been necessary to recruit staff who are not suitably qualified and provide

them with furth training

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


and

Advisory

Support

Services

Local

Authority

Training

Provision


CWDC

footprint

Other - not in

CWDC

footprint

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

7.3.1.4 Information about training


Most respondents agreed that it was easy to find information on relevant training and that

there were courses available which met staff needs. Respondents from most fields of

expertise agreed that there were training courses that met their needs as a manager,

employer, or self-employed person (62 to 88 per cent of respondents). However, only 38

per cent (six out of 16) of Learning Mentors who responded agreed.

The problems of finding appropriately qualified staff cannot be wholly explained by

difficulty identifying relevant training courses, as the results of Question 8 – It has been

easy to find information on relevant training courses – suggests that in all sectors, the

majority of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement. Among

childminders this was as high as 88%, while in the social care and training provision

sectors the figures were around 62% (Figure 7.03).

65 Percentages given are of the total who agreed or disagreed (respondents who answered ‘don’t know’ or ‘not applicable’ are not included)


Figure 7.03

Q8 It has been easy to find information on relevant training courses

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


and

Advisory

Support

Services

Local

Authority

Training

Provision


CWDC

footprint

Other - not

in CWDC

footprint

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

There are limited regional variations in the ease with which course information is

available, only the London region shows a particular difficulty, with around 47% of

respondents disagreeing or strongly disagreeing with the statement in question 8. In all

other regions, the support for the statement was between 62% and 78%.

7.3.1.5 Availability of training


Most respondents agreed that there were enough places available on suitable training

courses (70 per cent and over); 56 per cent of those working in social care and

childminding agreed, and 48 per cent of early years respondents agreed.

Learning Mentors indicated that the number and range of qualifications available has

made it difficult for them to know what qualifications practitioners should hold (88 per cent

agreeing with the statement). 50 per cent of childminders and those in the early years

field, 45 per cent of Education Welfare Officers, 34 per cent of Connexions staff, 27 per

cent of social care respondents and 20 per cent of Educational Psychologists agreed with

the statement.

Across the sectors featured among the respondents to the survey, employers have been

able to find the relevant training courses that they require, with only childminding as a

sector reporting less than 70% agree or strongly agree with the statement ‘I have been

able to find relevant training courses which meet staff needs’.

66 Percentages given are of the total who agreed or disagreed (respondents who answered ‘don’t know’ or ‘not applicable’ are not included)


Figure 7.04

Q9 I have been able to find relevant training courses which meet staff needs

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


and

Advisory

Support

Services

Local

Authority

Training

Provision


CWDC

footprint

Other - not

in CWDC

footprint

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

The regional breakdown indicates that access to information is easier from a regional

perspective than for those working for a national organisation – all regions except London

registered more than 70% satisfaction with the ease of locating provision, while just 47%

of those working for a national organisation agreed or strongly agreed.

Figure 7.05

Q9 I have been able to find relevant training courses which meet staff needs

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

East East

Midlands

London North

East

North

West

South

East

South

West

West

Midlands

Yorks &

Humber

National

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

Source: Workforce Skills and Training Survey 2007

There was slightly more variation in the provision of training courses for

managers/employers/ self-employed people, while the average satisfaction across the

different sectors was 71% for staff training, it was just 67% for this managerial level of

staff.


Figure 7.06

Q10 I have been able to find training courses which meet my needs as a

manager/employer/self employed person

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


and

Advisory

Support

Services

Local

Authority

Training

Provision


CWDC

footprint

Other - not

in CWDC

footprint

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

Regional provision appears to be consistent across the country, although again there was

more dissatisfaction registered from those working for national organisations. The North

East region showed the most positive experience – almost 80% of employers agreed or

strongly agreed with the statement.

Question 11 asked employers to respond to the statement ‘I have found that there are

enough places available on suitable training courses’. The Early Years sector responses

show that this is the sector in which provision is least likely to match demand, with 51%

disagreeing or strongly disagreeing with this statement. In fact 15% of respondents

strongly disagreed. In all other sectors the majority agreed or strongly agreed, although

in social care and childminding, it was only just over 50%.

Fig. 7.07

Q11 I have found that there are enough places available on suitable training courses

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


and

Advisory

Support

Services

Local

Authority

Training

Provision


CWDC

footprint

Other - not

in CWDC

footprint

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree


Regional provision varies, with satisfaction ranging from 50% in the South East to 72% in

the North East.

Figure 7.08

Q11 I have found that there are enough places available on suitable training courses

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

East East

Midlands

London North

East

North

West

South

East

South

West

West

Midlands

Yorks &

Humber

National

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

7.3.1.6 Range of qualifications

One of the issues that is often raised in relation to the difficulties of finding suitably

qualified staff is the range of qualifications that are available and the complexity of the

training and qualification system. Question 12 raised this issue directly, asking employers

to respond to the statement ‘ The number and range of qualifications available has made

it difficult for me to know what qualifications practitioners should hold’. The responses

were mixed, with 73% of those in the social care sector disagreeing or strongly

disagreeing. For those falling in the ‘other – in CWDC footprint’ category, 71% of

respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement. The other sectors returned

response rates indicating approximately half were satisfied with the current situation.

Those in the public sector appear to find the current situation least complex and just over

half of the voluntary, community and faith sector respondents found it too complicated.

When the responses are analysed by their regional breakdown (see Figure 7.11), the

national organisations once again returned a different response fro the regions, with 63%

of respondents identifying their agreement. The average for the regions was just 44%

dissatisfaction with the current qualifications system in terms of its clarity. The highest

levels of agreement were in Yorkshire and the Humber, where 59% of respondents

agreed or strongly agreed wit the statement.


Figure 7.09

Q12 The number and range of qualifications available has made it difficult for me to

know what qualifications practitioners should hold

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

East East

Midlands

London North

East

North

West

South

East

South

West

West

Midlands

Yorks &

Humber

National

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

7.3.1.7 Value of staff training


Across all the fields of expertise, respondents found the following types of training to be

the most useful:

• informal on-the-job training (i.e. from colleagues, as and when required);

• in-house training courses delivered by staff members;

• in-house training courses delivered by consultants/training companies;

• relevant accredited training courses which lead to qualifications.

67



Figure 7.10

Q13 The most useful form of staff training has been…

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200


and

Advisory

Support

Services

Local

Authority

Training

Provision


CWDC

footprint

Other - not in

CWDC

footprint

Informal on-the-job training

(i.e. from colleagues)

In-house training courses

delivered by staff


delivered by consultants

Non-accredited training

courses provided by external

Relevant accredited training

courses which lead to quals

Other

Don't know

In each field of expertise, apart from early years and childminding, these four forms of

training were placed above non-accredited training courses provided by external

providers. Few respondents suggested other forms of training though three respondents

offered university level training as useful and two said local authority training was useful.

Figure 7.11

Q13 The most useful form of staff training has been…

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Employers Employees Self Employed

Informal on-the-job training

(i.e. from colleagues)


delivered by staff


delivered by consultants

Non-accredited training

courses provided by external

Relevant accredited training

courses which lead to quals

Other

Don't know

Respondents were asked about the most important factors when looking for training and

the following options were given:

• location;

• cost;


• funding available;

• content of course;

• suitability of course to role/setting;

• Awarding Body;

• quality of training provider;

• ability to get cover for members of staff participating in training;

• timing of course.

Figure 7.12

Q14 An important factor when looking for training has been…

0

50

100

150

200

250


and Advisory

Support

Services

Local

Authority

Training

Provision


CWDC

footprint

Other - not in

CWDC

footprint

Location

Cost

Funding available

Content of course

Suitability of course to

role/settingAwarding body

Quality of training provider

Ability to get cover for members

of staff participatingTiming of course

Other

Don't know

Source: Workforce Skills and Training Survey 2007

In most fields of expertise, the top five factors in the above list received the highest score.

However, Connexions staff placed slightly less importance on the availability of funding

compared to the other factors in this top five68.

Of the four remaining factors (Awarding Body, quality of training provider, ability to get

cover for members of staff participating in training and timing of course) the Awarding

Body was consistently scored as less important. The remaining factors were scored at a

similar level, apart from the timing of courses which was scored as slightly more important

for those working in childminding and early years.

The factors most affecting decision-making differ between employers, employees and the

self-employed. For employers, the three most important factors were cost, suitability of

68

23 Connexions Personal Advisors who responded agreed that ‘funding available’ was important, as compared with 58, 63, 66 and 95 who agreed that the location, cost, content and suitability (respectively) were important factors.


course to role/setting and location. Employees valued suitability most, with location and

course content being the next most important, while the self-employed valued location

most, while timing and cost were the next most important. For all the awarding body

proved the least specifically identified factor.

The awarding body was of less importance across the sectors, while the public sector

valued cost, suitability and content most, both the private and VCF sectors identified

location as of key concern, with cost and suitability being of next, almost equal

importance.

7.3.2 Supply and demand - key trends

The DfES report69 provides a useful analysis of the likely patterns of demand for

children’s’ services. It uses a combination of techniques to look at population predictions

together with socio-economic factors to do this.

Population projections show an overall 4% decrease of 0-19 year olds in the general

population over the next 6 years to 2012 with the greatest drop indicated in the Northern

regions (North East and West, and Yorkshire and Humberside) where a 12-15% drop is

predicted. This contrasts with a predicted 4% decline in the South East and East.

However, London is the exception to this pattern with no decline predicted.

The report highlights key socio-economic factors affecting demand. The two main factors

which contribute most to demand are the numbers of children living in families claiming

income-related benefits, and those living in lone-parent families. Other factors include

the population density of an area as well as the numbers of children living in families

claiming income-related benefits, in lone-parent families, in flats and those with a long-

term limiting illness.

The size of the population is a key factor in determining demand. Regional variations in

population are more profoundly affected by migration than is the national population.

This migration has a strong impact on the regional-level demand for services. Figure

7.13 shows the projected 0-19 population changes by region, showing large predicted

population declines the North East and North West, and much slower declines in

Southern and Eastern regions of England.

Figure 7.13: Projected 0-19 population change by region from 2005-2012

Region % change

London -1

East -1

South East -2

South West -2

69 Department for Education and Skills, 2005; The Children’s workforce in England: A Review of the

evidence; Version 1.0


East Midlands -4

Yorkshire and Humber -5

West Midlands -5

North West -7

North East -9

Source: GAD 2003-based sub-national projections for England

Beyond the variations in demographic factors, areas also vary in type, geographic

location, levels of deprivation and so on. An inner London borough, for example, looks

very different to a shire county in the North East. Rural areas face difficulties in provision

of services to a population spread thinly over a large area, while other metropolitan areas

may find the provision of services to an ethnically diverse population is a challenge.

7.3.2.1 Balance of labour supply and demand in relation to early years

provision

Available evidence suggests that, overall, the supply of childcare places is sufficient to

meet demand at current prices with nearly 2.5m children are enrolled in childcare70. Over

the last 7 years the number of places has risen by over half a million, and NAO evidence

revealed that very few parents reported being unable to use childcare due to it being

unavailable71. This corroborates evidence72 suggesting that the most likely reason for

parents not using childcare was choice, rather than cost. However, around 25% of

parents did report a lack of available free childcare places for both pre-school and school-

aged children73.

An indication of the adequacy of the supply of labour to permit further increases in

provision is given by information on recruitment difficulties faced by providers of early

years and child care services:

• Around three-quarters of all providers were recruiting in 2002-03.

• All settings experienced recruitment difficulties in the same period.

• However, although many settings are losing staff, they are doing so at a lower rate

than they are recruiting, implying that the sector is not shedding workers, but that

the growth of supply is behind that of the demand.

• Providers of care in non-school time (out of school and holiday clubs) are more

likely to report difficulties in recruitment than full day care providers. 43% of non-

school time provider managers reported some kind of difficulty, compared with only

20% of full day care providers.

70 Childcare and Early Years Work Force Survey 2002/3, Overview Report 71 National Audit Office, 2004; Early Years: Progress in Developing High Quality Childcare and Early Education Accessible to All 72 Department for Education and Skills research report (RR348), 2001; Repeat Study of Parents’ Demand for Childcare 73 Department for Education and Skills research report, 2002; Repeat Study of Parents Demand for Childcare


The expansion of the sector is driven largely by central and local government funding,

which pays for 53% of provision74.

7.3.2.2 Balance of Labour Supply and Demand in relation to social services

provision

The extent to which the demand for children’s social services (CSS) is satisfied can be

assessed by comparing the number of children who are known to need social services to

the number who actually receive them

A recent study75 compared the number of children known to be in need in two

communities, against the number who actually received social services. The study found

that:

• Only 38% of children in need lived in families that received social services. This

suggests that the unmet demand was 62% of children in need (those who did not

receive CSS).

• Over two-thirds of unmet demand related to children in the significant impairment

category.

• The study did find, however, that children with more serious needs were more likely

to receive social service support.

Evidence on the supply of social workers suggests that vacancy and turnover rates are

too high for certain roles, and in certain regions. A significant cause of this is that “most

public sector staff are leaving because of push, not pull, factors”76. Specific factors

causing individuals to leave the social care workforce are:

• Lack of recognition and status.

• Pay seen as low in relation to cost of living, especially in the South East.

• Competition within the sector and wider economy for skilled and unskilled

employees.

• Loss of job satisfaction.

• Lack of managerial support.

This evidence suggests that the supply of CSS is inadequate to meet demand for these

services. This will likely not come as a surprise to many working in the area, yet it is

important that the reasons for this are identified so that appropriate policies may be

devised to address it.

7.3.2.3 Future demand for social workers

74 National Audit Office; 2004, Early Years: Progress in Developing High Quality Childcare and Early Education Accessible to All 75 Department of Health, 2003; Children Supported and Unsupported in the Community 76

See the Audit Commission’s website


The child population projections suggest that the 0-19 population is predicted to fall to

2012, but this overall trend masks an increase in older-teenagers. In recent years,

despite this fall in child population, the numbers of children receiving social care has

increased77, which has implications for the level of unmet demand for CSS:

• For the period 1993-2003, the number of children looked after has risen 23% in

absolute terms78, and the rate (per 10,000 children) has also risen (22%)

• Other children, who receive social services but are not looked after by them,

increased by nearly 5% between 2001 and 2003, to a total of 164,400.

The increasing number of children being looked after does not necessarily reflect a rise in

the incidence of childhood social issues. There are two related points here: One is that

more children are remaining in care longer79. The other is the lowering of thresholds for

accessing care. This suggests that whilst social workers are working with a smaller

segment of the overall child population, the needs of this group are more challenging and

complex. Similarly, the profile of disabled children living in the community has changed

meaning that there is a far greater need for individualised packages of care for them and

their families. This brings with it a corresponding need for increased competences and

capacity to manage risk for social workers specialising in the care of disabled children.

7.3.2.4 Balance of labour supply and demand – foster carers

Local Authorities (LAs) aimed to raise the supply of foster families to 28,000 in 2005.

According to an informal survey of some LAs conducted by the Fostering Network in

200280, there is unmet demand for fostering families in England, in the form of demand for

certain types of carers. To meet this demand, the supply of appropriate fostering families

must be increased by around 8,200 carers. Particular types of children for whom the

supply of foster carers is inadequate are:

• looked after children aged over 10.

• sibling groups.

• challenging behaviour.

• Disabled.

• black and minority ethnic groups.

• particular cultural, ethnic or religious mixes.

• those requiring placement near their families.

Adequacy of supply to meet future demand for foster carers, and action to increase

supply

77 See: www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000418/index.shtml Statistical First Release on Children in Need. Between 2001 and 2003, the number of children in need increased by about 2% 78 From about 64,000 in 2000 to 69,100 in 2003 79 Between 1999 and 2003, the average number of days for the last period in care for children ceasing to be looked after rose each year from 598 to 772. Source: Children looked after by Local Authorities Year Ending 31 March 2003. Volume 1: Commentary and National Tables (Table Q) 80 See: www.thefostering.net/comdir/cditem.cfm?NID=453. Indicative figure only


Clearly there is a need for extra foster care workers to meet particular needs. As noted

above, while there may be a need for extra foster carers overall, the type of foster carer

recruited is of equal or greater importance. Hence a particular style of recruitment

strategy is required.

A ‘Research in Practice’ report81 suggests areas in which recruitment could be improved.

A key message is that success of recruitment depends on schemes being well-targeted.

The targeting of recruitment schemes should be based on a local audit of need to identify

areas where there are too few carers. One area in which targeting has improved

recruitment is in the proportions of foster carers from ethnic minority backgrounds.

However, evidence suggests that many local authorities are not equipped to perform this

kind of audit, so are often not able to target recruitment effectively.

In addition, there are key messages concerning retention. While it is important to ensure

that foster caring does not cost the foster carer (i.e. their allowance and fees are enough

to cover the cost of looking after the child or young person), it is also extremely important

to provide adequate support services. Such services, or the lack of them, can be a key

factor in many foster carers’ decision to leave the profession.

81 See: www.rip.org.uk/publications/champions/championsone/Champions_for_Children1.html


8. Priorities and recommendations

The Stage 1 and Stage 2 reports are designed to provide the essential underpinnings for

the subsequent stages of the SSA development process.

Key issues identified during Stages 1 and 2 include82:

• The workforce needs more diverse skill-sets to be better able to respond to the

needs of service users, to provide increasingly flexible services and to respond

positively to change.

• The number and range of qualifications on offer to the workforce is too high and

confusing for employers.

• Qualifications are the main barrier to career progression and mobility between

occupations within the children’s workforce.

• There is a need to ensure that all future qualifications are developed around the

requirements of the Common Core of Skills and Knowledge.

• Funding for training and development needs to be rationalised, simplified, and

clarified to maximise investment.

• Literacy, numeracy and communication skills need to be developed in order to

support the vision of a world class workforce and improve outcomes for children

and young people.

• There is a sector wide need for ICT skills to respond to new ways of working, e-

learning opportunities and service user expectations.

• Good leadership and management skills are essential for the development and

modernisation of the sector.

• The sector is perceived to have low professional esteem and remuneration which

impacts on recruitment and retention. This needs to be addressed and the public

perception of the sector raised.

• Delivery of training provision requires greater flexibility and innovative solutions

to meet employer needs, particularly in terms of time, location, duration and

delivery mode.

• A wide range of non-accredited learning is undertaken but does not facilitate

transferability; non-accredited learning is often valued highly, and its status needs

to be addressed.

• Accurate and consistent workforce intelligence, particularly at regional level, is

often lacking.

• Apprenticeship achievement rates for the CCLD Framework are the lowest of any

sector.

• There is low take up of Train to Gain support by the sector. There are

opportunities for this to be addressed.

82

These are, for completeness, repeated from earlier sections of this Report


Training and qualifications

These are significant factors for recruitment and retention within the children’s workforce,

together with a perceived need for remuneration change. Historically, low levels of

qualification exist, with unaccredited learning used extensively within the sector83.

There are many and diverse qualifications available to the sector, with confusion over the

relative merits of these, but there is currently little guidance available on those

qualifications that are essential. There is a need to ensure that all future qualifications

are developed around the requirements of the Common Core of Skills and Knowledge,

and that CDWC, as part of the SSC ‘Skills for Care and Development’, use its

endorsement powers to overcome the proliferation of duplicated or unfit qualifications.

We need to agree what to invest in, proactively promoting these and ensuring that the

vast majority of funding is directed towards them. The development of our Sector

Learning Strategy will take forward this process – with ideas and scenarios for the future

tested during Stage 3 and embedded during Stages 4 and 5.

Coherence in new qualifications will be also addressed by the parallel development of an

Integrated Qualifications Framework (IQF). The IQF will help to simplify and rationalise

new qualifications through a unit and credit based framework, across the full range of

qualifications including both vocational and higher education awards.

Qualifications that are available to workers in related groups, outside the CWDC footprint

(e.g. in education and health) include many of the skills requirements of those within the

footprint. Joint work with these groups is already being explored to facilitate integrated

working across several children’s sectors in England, to develop improved career

progression and mobility across this and other children’s sectors, and to reduce the

confusion around similar qualifications.

Foundation degrees are being further explored with a view to ensuring their fitness for

purpose for the sector.

Apprenticeships will be further investigated, in particular to explore the issues around the

low completion rates (around 50%).

Professional Status is being developed within the early years workforce to enable a

diversity of routes into higher levels of the profession. Evaluation of the progress of this

initiative is currently under way and will feed-into subsequent SSA development.

Non-accredited training is widely used in the sector and has advantages in some cases.

However, there is a need to improve workforce intelligence and to explore with employers

and learners the appropriate extent of this form of training and to ensure the training

employers need is made available, with the advantages of transferability and career

progression that accreditation provides. Again, there is a need to invest in ‘high status’

qualifications.

83



Training delivery modes are worthy of further consideration, with the location and timing

of training courses as important factors in the choice of training provision. There are

indications from employers that many feel unable to influence training supply, and tend to

use the courses offered by local training suppliers. The low take-up of Train to Gain

across the sector needs to be evaluated, and the potential for Train to Gain at Level 4+

will be investigated.

Funding

Funding for training is a mixed picture, with 20-40% of employers finding it difficult to

access funding for the training they would like to use. The public and voluntary sectors

feel they have less access than private employers to the funding they need. Some

regions are indicating a need for short term information on funding to be supplied whilst

longer term work on rationalising funding takes place. For example, one local authority is

employing people to teach basic skills rather than using LSC supply. Again our SLS and

Stages 3, 4 and 5 will provide opportunities to address these issues.

Data collection

The collection and collation of workforce intelligence at a regional level is an immediate

priority. Children and young people’s plans are under development across England and

will include collecting local data and developing local strategies to inform understanding

of local learning supply issues. It is expected that information will be available from 2008.

Meanwhile, the local issues are under discussion with key partners for example LSC,

TDA and RDAs to examine local priorities. This engagement will continue to be

enhanced by significant consultation during stages 3 to 5. Issues expected to arise

include, for instance, regional partnerships supplying joint training in a common induction

across five authorities.

There is a need to ensure that planning for change is staged with plans to address

immediate needs, for example, collecting data on a regional level and providing

information on funding issues to employers is differentiated from longer term plans, for

example the completion of an IQF by 2010. Detailed action plans will be developed

during stages 3 to 5 of the SSA process.

Next Steps

CWDC is taking the key messages from our Stage 1 and 2 reports out to employers and

other stakeholder (including providers of learning supply, regulators, awarding bodies,

funding agencies and partner SSCs) across England during our Stage 3 work. This work

is due to commence in May 2007 with a national level meeting to test the key messages

with a sector-wide employer reference group. This will be followed up by regional level

consultation events during June and July, as well as a web based consultation in order to

widen the sector engagement as much as possible.

We will be seeking solutions to the above priorities and identifying opportunities for

collaboration that will meet the challenges and changing skill-needs of the ‘workforce of

the future’.


Options on the preferred direction of change will be developed which will lead to early

action plans by October 2007 and a series of focussed Sector Skills Agreements by

January 2008.

In parallel with this, we will be consulting on, and developing our Sector Learning

Strategy (SLS). Further details of this process are provided in our Stage 1 Report.

Finally, there is no ‘magic wand’ solution to the challenges and changing skills needs

facing the children’s workforce, but this should not mask the considerable achievements

of the past few years. CWDC and its Children’s Workforce Network partners have been

tireless in pursuing an agenda of modernisation and workforce reform that will meet the

changing requirements of children, young people and families, the vision of the sector

and the aspirations of society and government. The SSA will be the overarching

framework that sets into context solutions, and provides a means for the sector to engage

with the diverse range of stakeholders to create a more dynamic workforce development

model in which resources can be better used and focused to meet real sector priorities.

The direction of travel and the magnitude of the task are clear. The needs and

aspirations of children, young people and families, and of society and government,

require an urgent response. The SSA will give voice to that urgency.


Bibliography

Adult Learning Inspectorate (2005) Talisman, Issue 43, September 2005 Supplement: Unqualified Success

Adult Learning Inspectorate (2007) Talisman, Issue 59, March 2007

Aktar, P., (2007) Baselining Work-Based Learning. Skills for Care.

Apprenticeships Task Force (2005) Apprenticeships Task Force: Final Report.

CWDC (2006) Recruitment, Retention and Rewards in the Children’s Workforce, Occupational

Summaries.

Children’s Workforce Development Council - www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/qualifications/

www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/qualifications/frameworkguidance.htm

www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/projects/sectorskillsagreement.htm

www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/pdf/SSA/CWDC_workforce_skills_training_survey_results_May07.pdf

Clemens, S., Ullman, A. and Kinnaird, R. (2003) Childcare and Early Years Work Force Survey

2002/3, Overview Report. London: DfES.

Commission for Social Care Inspection (2005) The state of social care in England 2004-05.

DfEE (November 2000) Statement by the Secretary of State for Education and Employment on

the Future of Further Education in England. London: Learning and Development Agency.

DfES (2006) Children’s Workforce Strategy Building a world-class workforce for children, young

people and families - The Government’s response to the consultation. London: HMSO.

DfES (2006) Championing Children. London: HMSO.

DfES (2004) Every Child Matters: Change for Children. London: HMSO.

DfES (2005) Every Child Matters: Change for Children. London: HMSO.

DfES (2006) Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances. London: HMSO.

DfES (2005) The Children’s workforce in England: A Review of the evidence. Version 1.0.

London: HMSO.

DfES (2001) Repeat Study of Parents’ Demand for Childcare.

DfES (2004) Statistics of Education: Children looked after by Local Authorities, Year Ending 31

March 2003 Volume 1: Commentary and National Tables. London: HMSO.


DfES - www.dfes.gov.uk/skillsstrategy/

www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000418/index.shtml

DfES and DoH (2004) National Service Framework. London: HMSO.

DfES and DoH (2006) Options for Excellence – Building the Social Care Workforce of the Future. London: HMSO.

DfES and HM Treasury (2007) Aiming high for children: supporting families. London: HMSO.

DfES and HM Treasury (2007) Policy review of children and young people - a discussion paper. London: HMSO.

DoH (2003) Children Supported and Unsupported in the Community. London: HMSO.

Early Years, Childcare and Playwork Stakeholder Forum, 2006; Apprenticeship Task Group Final Report. Expert Panel – Funding Rates for NVQs and Apprenticeships Final Report 2006. Feedback from CWDC and LSC joint regional events – Apprenticeships in Action March 2007

Every Child Matters - www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/deliveringservices/caf/

http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/deliveringservices/commoncore

The Fostering Network - www.fostering.net

Foundation Degree Forward - http://www.fdf.ac.uk/courses/index.php

Hawthorne Research and Business Development Ltd (2007) Training Strategy Implementation: Funding Unit Analysis.

Higher Education Statistics Agency - http://www.hesa.ac.uk/holisdocs/home.htm

HM Government (2006) Childcare Act 2006. London: HMSO.

HM Government (2005) Disability Discrimination Act. London: HMSO.

HM Government (200*) Disability Equality Duty. London: HMSO.

HM Government (2005) Getting on in business, getting on at work. London: HMSO.

HM Government (2003) Twenty First Century Skills. London: HMSO.

HM Treasury (2004) Choice for parents, the best start for children: a ten year strategy for childcare. London: HMSO.

HM Treasury (2006) Prosperity for all in the global economy - world class skills. London: HMSO. Learning and Skills Council (2006) Impact of the Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) Programme: Attitude and Engagement of Employers and Key Stakeholders Learning & Skills Council (2005) National Employer Skills Survey 2005.


Learning and Skills Council (2007) Delivering World-class Skills in a Demand-led System. Local Authority Social Services Letter LASSL (DH)(2007)1 Moss, P (2003) Beyond Caring: The case for reforming the childcare and early years workforce. London: Thomas Coram Research Unit, University of London. National Audit Office (2004) Early Years: Progress in Developing High Quality Childcare and Early Education Accessible to All. National Information System for Vocational Qualifications - http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/Source.asp?vlnk=666&More=Y NOMIS (2005) Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.

Qualification and Curriculum Authority - www.qca.org.uk/493_15772.html

Research in Practice - http://www.rip.org.uk/

Research and Intelligence Unit of the Employers Organisation (2004) 16th Social Services Workforce Survey.

Rolfe, H, Metcalfe, H., Anderson, T. and Meadows, P. (2003) Recruitment and Retention of Childcare, Early Years and Play Workers: Research Study. London: National Institute of Economic and Social Research

SkillsPlus (2007) Use and take-up of National Occupational Standards, and National and

Scottish vocational qualifications in local government – United Kingdom survey 2007.

Social Care and Health Working Group (2003) Social Services Workforce Survey (England). London: HMSO. Topss England (2000) Modernising the Social Care Workforce


Appendices

Appendix 1 - Workforce Skills and Training Survey 2007

Introduction

In November 2006 the CWDC completed an on-line survey of employers’ views on workforce

skills and training. The results from this survey will inform the development of the CWDC’s

sector skills agreement (SSA)84. The survey ran from 19 December 2006 to 12 February 2007

and attracted 1062 responses of which 38 per cent were on behalf of employers or

organisations.

Once the survey was completed, an initial analysis identified nearly 800 people who were willing

to be contacted for further, more detailed information. These respondents were sent a follow-up

set of questions in order to gain more detail on the availability of workforce skills. (See Appendix

A for key findings from the follow-up work)

The Results

The first section of the survey (questions 1-4) collected background information on the

respondents and their employers/organisations. These questions showed the following findings:

Fig. 1.

84

Further information about the SSA can be found at http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/projects/sectorskillsagreement.htm


Employment Role

490

407

1436

employer or manager

employee (within an

organisation), not a manager

self employed

voluntary worker

NB: Figures shown are actual numbers of respondents

Fig. 2.85

Field of Expertise

303

162

153

9

23

26

14

205

33

3627

61Early Years

Social Care

Connexions

CAFCASS

Learning Mentor

Education Welfare Officer

Educational Psychologist

Local Authority

Training Provision

Childminder

another area of the CWDC

footprintanother area NOT in CWDC

footprintNB: Figures shown are actual numbers of respondents

85 Categories relate to area/nature of work rather than specific job titles (e.g. Childminding Network Coordinator is categorised in ‘childminder’)


Fig. 3.

Sector

630

239

134

38Public Sector

Private Sector

Voluntary / Community Sector

(including faith and social

enterprises)

unsure



Fig. 4.

Government Office Region

7344

72

40

132

264

288

50

58 31

East England

East Midlands

London

North East England

North West England

South East England

South West England

West Midlands

Yorkshire and Humberside

All of the above (National

organisation)


The majority of the questions asked for respondents’ views on workforce skills and training. The

answers have been analysed by the respondent profile (employment role, field of expertise,

sector, and geographical region). This analysis has not shown great variation (of 20 per cent or

more) on the basis of respondent profile compared with the results for the whole sample.


Differences according to respondent profile are set out in each of the following sections to this

report. These differences occur mainly when the responses are analysed according to

respondents’ field of expertise.


Recruitment

Fig. 5.

It has been easy to recruit staff with appropriate qualifications

2%

22%

40%

11%

16%

9%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Not applicable

Don't know

Fig. 6.

It has been easy to recruit staff with appropriate basic skills

(e.g. numeracy, literacy)

8%

47%

17%

2%

16%

10%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Not applicable

Don't know


Fig. 7.

It has often been necessary to recruit staff who are not suitably

qualified and provide them with further training

12%

36%

21%

4%

17%

10%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Not applicable

Don't know


Respondents from early years and social care fields, Connexions Personal Advisers and

Education Welfare Officers indicated that it was easier to recruit people with basic skills than it

was to recruit staff with the appropriate qualifications87. Over half of each of these respondents

agreed that it was necessary to recruit people who are not suitably qualified and train them

further.

86 per cent of Educational Psychologists agreed that it was easy to recruit people with

appropriate basic skills and 17 per cent agreed that it was easy to recruit staff with appropriate

qualifications. 30 per cent agreed that it was often necessary to recruit staff who are not suitably

qualified and provide them with further training.

Learning Mentors indicated that they felt it was as easy to recruit people with appropriate

qualifications as basic skills (80 and 88 per cent respectively). 61 per cent agreed that it was

often necessary to recruit staff who are not suitably qualified and provide them with further

training.

Training and qualifications

86


65-95 per cent of respondents in each of these groups agreed that it was easy to recruit staff with basic skills. 28-41 per cent agreed that it was easy to recruit staff with appropriate qualifications


Fig. 8.

It has been easy to find information on relevant training

courses

8%

57%

23%

4%4%

4%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Not applicable

Don't know

Fig. 9.

I have been able to find training courses which meet staff

needs 5%

53%

18%

2%

17%

5%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Not applicable

Don't know

Fig. 10.


I have been able to find training courses which meet my needs

as a manager/employer/self employed person

5%

47%

22%

3%

18%

5%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Not applicable

Don't know

Fig. 11.

I have found that there are enough places available on suitable

training courses

3%

47%

29%

7%

6%

8%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Not applicable

Don't know

Fig. 12.


The number and range of qualifications available has made it

difficult for me to know what qualifications practitioners should

hold8%

31%

41%

5%

9%

6%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Not applicable

Don't know

Fig. 13.

What has been the most useful form of staff training?

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Informal on-

the-job

training (i.e.

from

colleagues)

In-house

training

courses

delivered by

staff

In-house

training

courses

delivered by

consultants

Non-

accredited

training

courses

provided by

external

providers

Relevant

accredited

training

courses

which lead to

qualifications

Other Don't know

No

. o

f re

sp

on

ses

Fig. 14.


What has been an important factor when looking for training?

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Loca

tion

Cos

t

Fundi

ng a

vaila

ble

Con

tent o

f cour

se

Suita

bility of

cou

rse

to ro

le/s

ettin

g

Awar

ding

bod

y

Qua

lity of

trai

ning

prov

ider

Ability to

get

cov

er

Timin

g of

cou

rse

Oth

er

Don

't kn

ow


Most respondents agreed that it was easy to find information on relevant training and that there

were courses available which met staff needs. Respondents from most fields of expertise

agreed that there were training courses that met their needs as a manager, employer, or self-

employed person (62 to 88 per cent of respondents). However, only 38 per cent (six out of 16)

of Learning Mentors who responded agreed.

Most respondents agreed that there were enough places available on suitable training courses

(70 per cent and over); 56 per cent of those working in social care and childminding agreed, and

48 per cent of early years respondents agreed.

Learning Mentors indicated that the number and range of qualifications available has made it

difficult for them to know what qualifications practitioners should hold (88 per cent agreeing with

the statement). 50 per cent of childminders and those in the early years field, 45 per cent of

Education Welfare Officers, 34 per cent of Connexions staff, 27 per cent of social care

respondents and 20 per cent of Educational Psychologists agreed with the statement.

Across all the fields of expertise, respondents found the following types of training to be the

most useful:

• informal on-the-job training (i.e. from colleagues, as and when required);

88



• in-house training courses delivered by staff members;

• in-house training courses delivered by consultants/training companies;

• relevant accredited training courses which lead to qualifications.

In each field of expertise, apart from early years and childminding, these four forms of training

were placed above non-accredited training courses provided by external providers. Few

respondents suggested other forms of training though three respondents offered university level

training as useful and two said local authority training was useful.

Respondents were asked about the most important factors when looking for training and the

following options were given:

• location;

• cost;

• funding available;

• content of course;

• suitability of course to role/setting;

• Awarding Body;

• quality of training provider;

• ability to get cover for members of staff participating in training;

• timing of course.

In most fields of expertise, the top five factors in the above list received the highest score.

However, Connexions staff placed slightly less importance on the availability of funding

compared to the other factors in this top five89.

Of the four remaining factors (Awarding Body, quality of training provider, ability to get cover for

members of staff participating in training and timing of course) the Awarding Body was

consistently scored as less important. The remaining factors were scored at a similar level,

apart from the timing of courses which was scored as slightly more important for those working

in childminding and early years.

89

23 Connexions Personal Advisors who responded agreed that ‘funding available’ was important, as compared with 58, 63, 66 and 95 who agreed that the location, cost, content and suitability (respectively) were important factors


Qualifications

Fig. 15.

A BA/BSc undergraduate degree equips potential employees

with the relevant skills and knowledge to carry out their role

effectively6%

31%

29%

6%

10%

18%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Not applicable

Don't know

Fig. 16.

A Foundation degree equips potential employees with the

relevant skills and knowledge to carry out their role effectively

5%

35%

23%

5%

9%

23%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Not applicable

Don't know


Fig. 17.

An NVQ Level 3 or equivalent equips potential employees with

the relevant skills and knowledge to carry out their role

effectively

8%

54%

18%

3%

6%

11%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Not applicable

Don't know

Fig. 18.



effectively

3%

40%

27%

8%

7%

15%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Not applicable

Don't know

Fig. 19.




effectively1%

17%

34%

16%

10%

22%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Not applicable

Don't know

Fig. 20.

The completion of an apprenticeship framework equips

prospective employees with the relevant skills and knowledge

to carry out their role effectively3%

43%

11%

3%

10%

30%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Not applicable

Don't know

Fig. 21.


Relevant experience equips potential employees with the skills

and knowledge to carry out their role effectively

15%

63%

14%

1%

3% 4%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Not applicable

Don't know

Fig. 22.

There is a need for a graduate level professional (holding at

least a BA/BSc undergraduate degree) in my area of the

workforce

16%

32%

30%

7%

6%

9%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Not applicable

Don't know



This section on qualifications asked respondents the extent to which they agreed or disagreed

that each level of qualification and/or experience equipped potential employees with the

relevant skills and knowledge to carry out their role effectively.

The tables below show the percentage of people who agreed within each field of expertise, in

ranked order (from most to least agreement).

Table 1.

Early Years

Qualification Level Percentage

agreement

Level 3 85%

Experience 85%

Apprenticeship 80%

Foundation Degree 68%

Level 2 64%

BA/BSc 43%

Level 1 31%

Table 4..

Social Care


agreement

Experience 81%

Apprenticeship 73%

Level 3 66%

BA/BSc 54%


Level 2 42%

Level 1 22%

Table 2.

Education and Advisory Support

Services91


agreement

Experience 83%

Apprenticeship 71%

Level 3 64%

BA/BSc 56%


Table 5.

Local Authority


agreement

Experience 82%

Apprenticeship 75%

Level 3 72%


BA/BSc 58%

90



Level 2 39%

Level 1 14%

Level 2 55%

Level 1 29%

Table 3.

Training Provision


agreement

Apprenticeship 91%

Level 3 78%

Level 2 66%


Experience 48%

BA/BSc 44%

Level 1 35%

Table 6.

Childminding


agreement

Level 3 91%

Experience 88%

Apprenticeship 80%

Level 2 75%


Level 1 46%

BA/BSc 37%

Respondents from each area of expertise agreed that experience was important.

Apprenticeships and Level 3 qualifications were consistently in respondents’ top three in terms

of importance, and Level 1 was always in the bottom two.

91

Including Connexions Personal Advisors, Learning Mentors, Education Welfare Officers and Educational Psychologists


Graduate Level Professionals

Respondents were asked to comment on the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with the

statement ‘there is a need for a graduate level professional (holding at least a BA/BSc

undergraduate degree) in my area of the workforce’. The level of agreement with this statement

was quite similar across the social care, Connexions, Education Welfare, local authority and

training provision respondents, at between 60 to 75 per cent. The greatest level of agreement

came from Educational Psychologists (92 per cent) and the lowest from the childminding field (5

per cent). 22 per cent of Learning Mentors and 33 per cent of respondents in the early years

field felt that there was a need for a graduate level professional in their area of the workforce.


Funding for Training

Fig. 23.

I am able to access sufficient funding to support necessary


4%

40%

32%

12%

6%

6%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Not applicable

Don't know

Fig. 24.

Employers should invest in the training and development of

employees and themselves

54%

36%

4%1%

4% 1%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Not applicable

Don't know

Fig. 25.


Individuals and the self-employed should be encouraged to

invest in their own training and development

19%

53%

20%

3%1% 4%

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Not applicable

Don't know


Respondents’ opinions differed when they were asked to comment on the statement ‘I am able

to access sufficient funding to support necessary training and development’. The lowest level of

agreement came from Education Welfare Officers (18 per cent). The highest came from

childminders at 69 per cent, with the early years field at 62 per cent. Other respondents were in

agreement between 39 and 55 per cent of the time.

All groups of respondents agreed that employers should invest in the training and development

of employees and themselves (between 86 and 100 per cent agreement), and that individuals

and the self-employed should be encouraged to invest in their own training and development

(between 62 and 83 per cent agreement).


There was more regional variation on the funding of training than in any other section of the

survey. 29 per cent of respondents in the north east agreed that they were able to access

sufficient funding to support necessary training and development. London was similar, at 34 per

cent. The south east and west midlands had the highest level of agreement, at 60 and 66 per

cent respectively.

Respondents consistently agreed that employers should invest in the training and development

of employees and themselves (ranging from 88 per cent in the south east to 100 per cent in the

north east). Respondents also agreed that individuals and the self-employed should be

encouraged to invest in their own training and development (ranging from 66 per cent in the

west midlands to 94 per cent in the east midlands).

92




Skills

Respondents were asked to indicate the degree to which they agreed or disagreed that the

following skills were readily available in their current setting:

• effective communication and engagement with children, young people and families

(involving listening and building empathy, summarising and explaining, consultation and

negotiation);

• understanding of child and young person development (involving observation and

judgement, empathy and understanding);

• ability to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child (involving relating, recognising

and taking considered action, communication, recording and reporting, personal skills);

• ability to support transitions in the lives of children and young people (involving

identifying transitions and providing support);

• ability to work across multi-agency settings (involving teamwork, communication,

assertiveness);

• ability to share information effectively across different agencies (involving information

handling, clear communication, engagement);

• ability to deliver integrated services to children, young people and their families;

• basic skills (e.g. literacy, numeracy);

• ability to commission and contract work out;

• leadership and management skills;

• ability to make use of technology (including IT and specialist equipment);

• understanding disability and surrounding issues.

Respondents agreed that most of these skills were readily available in their current setting

(ranging from 74 to 92 per cent for each skill). The exception was commissioning and

contracting, for which only 36 per cent of respondents agreed this skill was available and 38 per

cent of respondents saying they “did not know” or that this was not applicable.

Further information on the availability of these skills was collected through a follow up e-mail

survey. Details of the responses are in Appendix A.

Other skills

103 respondents provided comments on the other skills that were readily available in their

setting. This represented just under 10 per cent of those surveyed, with a high number of

respondents from youth work. The responses reflect the different priorities of different agencies

and organisations, with some referring specifically to skills within their workforce e.g.

Connexions, whereas others referred to more generic skills needs across the workforce.

Issues that were apparent in relation to analysing these responses were that:

• responses did not always clearly differentiate between skills and knowledge and some

respondents were concerned with the lack of provision or access to training

opportunities, whereas others referred to the personal qualities and attributes needed by

practitioners;


• there was confusion as some respondents were unsure whether the questions related to

skills currently available in their setting, whether they had access to individuals with

these skills, or whether they had opportunities to obtain the skills;

• for those in education and training, there appeared to be confusion regarding whether

the question related to their student population, the children’s workforce or their own

staff. As a result, the responses were mixed and there was no majority view on any

particular skills deficit.

The analysis of individual respondents’ comments identified some key issues in relation to

perceptions of the gaps in skills and knowledge which may or may not be applicable more

widely. Further investigation is required to determine whether these views are representative of

the workforce. However, we report the full list of issues that have been identified in order to

provide a full record of the responses.

• understanding of cultural, equality and diversity issues – not just racial equality or

disability but of family and lifestyle diversity, discrimination, power relationships and

ideology, particularly across mainstream/universal services;

• understanding adolescence and youth culture; the impact of poverty and links between

poverty, delinquency and anti-social behaviour;

• how to develop a non-judgemental approach, but challenge effectively; reflective

practice;

• a greater understanding of child development and developmental needs, particularly

emotional development and resilience, across the age range but especially adolescent

development;

• the impact of different experiences on children’s development;

• the importance of play;

• analysing information obtained through observation and assessment and translating this

into service planning, delivery and review;

• information technology skills;

• organisational, finance and budgeting skills; managerial and administrative skills;

• legal and statutory requirements;

• communication with children and adults, life experience, empathy and true partnership

working, especially with parents;

• better understanding of the work of other agencies, multi-agency working together.

Connexions staff responded on behalf of their own workforce skills needs and identified:

• organisational ability, meeting deadlines, ability to manage self;

• knowledge and understanding of the issues facing young people, the changing labour

market and opportunity awareness;

• the roles and responsibilities of the range of organisations working with children and

young people and the relevant legislation;

• strategies for influencing children and young people and their families;

• equality issues, personal safety, substance abuse awareness, sexual health, data

protection and information sharing;

• solution focussed, motivational interviewing techniques, ethical and anti-discriminatory

practice;

• support for children, young people and their families to access benefits.


Connexions staff also expressed concern about reduction in training budgets and de-skilling.

General comments on the availability of skills

182 respondents provided general comments on skills, representing approximately 17 per cent

of the responses. One emergent issue was the importance of gaining experience to enable

effective practice; as highlighted earlier, it is not clear to what extent these views represent the

whole workforce. Other comments included the following:

• that poor management, ineffective management and inappropriate organisational

structures impair the ability of staff to deliver high quality services and/or meet skills

gaps and training needs;

• a focus on targets and performance indicators, which are sometimes irrelevant or

inappropriate, can impair the ability to deliver real and creative solutions for children and

young people;

• the complexity of the workforce is not well understood. Many, including managers, do

not recognise and value unique professional roles and approaches;

• the skills identified in the questions reflected mixed levels of skills within teams, with

some staff being highly skilled and others not;

• the skills identified are the basic requirements of a team;

• expertise is in danger of being lost in the drive towards integration;

• the childcare aspect of the role will be lost to the teaching role;

• there are few opportunities to develop higher ordered thinking and analytical skills within

the constraints of the National Curriculum which is compounded by a lack of “soft skills”

development e.g. empathy, emotional intelligence, reflection and scope for learning from

mistakes;

• soft skills are undervalued, but the workforce needs high self-esteem and self-

actualisation in order to make a positive impact on children and families;

• basic skills are still lacking in workers entering the sector;

• information sharing between agencies remains poor and there is a reluctance by those

in social services to act preventatively rather than react once an incident had occurred;

• Data Protection seems to be used in many instances by statutory agencies to justify not

sharing relevant information. A lack of close partnership working and mutual distrust still

exists between agencies;

• too many qualifications which seem to deliver the same outcomes.

A key issue set out by at least one respondent related to the need for properly implemented

performance management systems to be embedded within organisations delivering services for

children. This issue was linked to the comments regarding poor management.

Good practice would link performance management to training and development – personal and

role related, allowing managers to identify objectives for individual staff that would contribute to

organisational objectives, where appropriate. Training needs would be identified through

appraisal and the quality of the workforce would, in theory, be improved by supporting the


development of individuals with potential and weeding out those who were not performing; thus

linking ability and potential with job roles and progression opportunities

Concern was expressed that there was a lack of training for working with different age groups,

especially in relation to child development and communication skills. Practitioners were

expected to work with children of different ages, and sometimes they were not trained, they

worked outside their area of expertise and they felt ill equipped.

Connexions respondents made a number of comments:

• practitioners must be able to see the wider picture for children and their families – i.e. the

child in context of family and wider society;

• Connexions Personal Advisors for young people with learning difficulties and disabilities

would benefit from being placed within multi-agency teams;

• it would be helpful to have modular qualifications incorporating transferable skills

between different agencies;

• communication between agencies working with children and young people is still

generally very poor;

• particular skills are required for practitioners in agencies that deal with adolescents, who

are able to make independent decisions;

• some highly qualified (degree) and experienced Personal Advisors strongly resented

having to undertake additional qualifications such as the PA Diploma.

Barriers to recruitment and retention

Respondents were asked to comment on the main barriers to recruiting and retaining fully

trained/qualified/skilled staff. This question received the highest number of comments with 792

responses. The majority (56 per cent) commented that the main barrier to recruitment and

retention was low levels of pay and remuneration compared with other industries.

As highlighted in the previous section, the key issues identified below are not given here as

representative of the workforce, as further investigation will be required in order to determine

whether this is the case. However it is important to report these issues in order to provide a full

record of the responses. Key issues identified were:

• there was significant disparity between the high level of qualifications being required and

the low levels of pay, which has a negative impact on recruiting and retaining staff;

• the general reluctance to invest in training and development of staff, as they were likely

to leave for better pay. For example, private nursery providers had lost staff to the

education sector since they were able to offer a better salary alongside pension

schemes and other benefits such as improved holiday entitlement. Nurseries were also

under pressure from schools as parents were being encouraged to use schools for

childcare in order to gain a place in the same school for their child’s education;

• the lack of a career structure in the early years sector, with little conviction that degree

level qualifications would improve the quality of care;

• private early years establishments expressed concern about the affordability of

employing graduates without subsidies. In most cases they said that they would need to

increase the costs to parents in order to be able to finance a graduate salary, and this


was felt to be unacceptable as it increased the already high costs of childcare beyond

the reach of many parents;

• people commented on the regulatory requirements which meant that providers need to

pay for another practitioner to stand in for the trainee, thus potentially doubling the cost

of providing training.

There were further individual comments on the following issues:

• employers are willing to provide and pay for training – particularly mandatory training,

but reluctant to support or subsidise qualifications including vocational qualifications;

• there is a marked reluctance to train/upskill qualified staff in case they leave for

improved salaries;

• a majority of respondents had experienced difficulty in recruiting staff with suitable skills

and qualifications;

• there is a disparity between the high levels of qualifications required and the low pay,

leading to “churn” in the workforce – low wages mean people leave. Some respondents

felt that workers could receive better pay in supermarkets or cleaning. Many would like

to be able to reward staff and pay them more;

• basic skills levels are still poor.

In addition, individual responses cited bureaucratic recruitment processes, the value placed on

people who work with children, working unsocial hours and poor management practice as

barriers to recruitment and retention. Some individuals commented that the lack of career

opportunities or more generally the cost of living could be a barrier. Funding was also

highlighted as an issue, especially the lack of funding specifically for training and development.

Some respondents in the voluntary/community sector (including faith and social enterprises)

commented that short term funding was counter-productive to encouraging a stable and well-

trained, effective workforce.

Early Years Targets

The survey included four questions about targets for the early years sector. This part of the

consultation was extended in order to gain more responses and CWDC’s Early Years team will

report the findings in autumn 2007.

Concluding Comments

This is the first general skills and training opinion survey undertaken by the CWDC. The

information is extremely valuable to CWDC, and a special thank you is extended to those who

responded, especially those who provided detailed comments.

A few respondents commented that some of the questions were difficult to answer. This was

mainly in reference to the general questions in the qualifications and skills sections. These

questions could have been made more specific during the design of the survey (for example

respondents could have been asked to consider the questions in relation to differing levels of

staff seniority – assistants, supervisory staff and management) however this would have


considerably lengthened the survey which may have discouraged people from responding. We

tried to address this issue by asking more specific questions in the follow up survey (see

Appendix A).

Results from this survey will be included in the CWDC’s Sector Skills Agreement later this year.

The findings will also inform projects across the organisation. The feedback we have received

on the design of the survey will be used when developing future consultations.


Appendix A

The CWDC decided to follow up the workforce skills survey by e-mailing a number of additional

questions to 798 of the respondents (those who provided e-mail addresses and said they were

happy to be contacted again). They were asked to draw on their personal experience within the

children’s workforce in order to rate:

• the importance of a series of skills to their organisation/business;

• the ease with which staff who have these skills are recruited;

• the extent to which it is a training priority for staff or themselves in their

organisation/business.

262 people responded to the e-mail.

Table 7

Average94 Value

Skill

Importance of

the skill

1 = Not at all

important 10 =

Very important

Ease of

recruitment

1 = Very easy

10 = Very

difficult

Training priority

1 = Not a priority

10 = Very high

priority

Effective communication and

engagement with children,

young people and families 9.74 5.80 7.83

Understanding of child and

young person development 8.90 5.90 7.42

Ability to safeguard and promote

the welfare of the child 9.60 5.99 8.62

Ability to support transitions in

the lives of children and young

people 8.64 5.90 7.18

Ability to work across multi-

agency settings 8.49 6.25 7.20

Ability to share information

effectively across different

agencies 8.64 6.09 7.35

94

The averages are the mean figures


Ability to deliver integrated

services to children, young

people and their families 8.22 5.99 7.10

Basic skills (e.g. literacy,

numeracy) 8.93 5.98 5.79

The ability to commission and

contract work out 4.94 5.75 4.27

Leadership and management

skills 8.08 6.31 7.08

The ability to make use of

technology (including IT and

specialist equipment) 7.74 5.99 6.66

An understanding of disability

and surrounding issues 8.61 6.16 7.62


Produced as part of Skills for Care and Development:

This report is the twp of five stages of the Sector Skills Agreement (SSA) for

the Children’s Workforce in England. A SSA is an agreement between

employers, the government, partner organisations and skills bodies to deliver

an agreed action plan to meet the priority skill needs of the sector. Stage 2 of

the SSA is an assessment of current training provision for the children’s

workforce.

For more information on the SSA please visit

http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/projects/sectorskillsagreement.htm

Documents

Sector Skills Agreement - UCL Institute of Education...3.2.4 Learning provision – levels 1, 2, 3 and 4 3.2.5 Learning provision: non-accredited learning 21 21 21 23 26 31 34 35 35